


The Second Garden

by The_Hinky_Panda



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-13
Updated: 2014-07-05
Packaged: 2018-01-15 13:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 40,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1306342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Hinky_Panda/pseuds/The_Hinky_Panda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gadreel wants redemption. Castiel wants Heaven to re-open. And all the angels who have died, don't want to stop existing. So when an anchor is created to keep the dead angels tied together until Heaven opens again, Gadreel finds a way to redeem himself: protect the anchor at all costs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wrath or Compassion

Chapter One: Wrath or Compassion

He misses the Garden, the simplicity of it all. The world that he has fallen into is loud, abrasive and violent. The wild nature that began in the Garden has been stamped down and trampled over by cities, buildings and harsh lights. He can barely see the stars in the sky. The sounds of life that used to fill his ears in the Garden are now drowned out with what the humans call civilization. 

Gadreel misses Eden. He can see remnants of the living, breathing masterpiece in fleeting moments but they disappear far too quickly. It depresses him, being faced with just how far reaching his mistake has been. That is why when Sam Winchester ejected him back to his original vessel, he continues in the job his vessel had chosen. He secludes himself in a dark bar that reeks of stale alcohol and cigarette smoke. It is the furtherest thing from Eden he can find and he uses it as a less restrictive prison. 

It’s closing time, almost four in the morning. He’s going through the mundane tasks of cleaning the bar when a piece of paper slides in front of him and his stomach drops. It has been weeks since Metatron has visited him. Weeks of human routine and learning how to live in this world gone mad. He had hoped Metatron was done with him since he was no longer inside of Sam. The disappointment at being wrong is overwhelming. 

“What is this?” he asks, despite knowing what it is already. 

“Another name on your hit list.” Metatron leans on the bar. “It took me a while to track down the rumor and confirm it. But I did.” 

Gadreel wonders if Metatron went through the hassle of confirming a rumor, why didn’t he take care of it himself? Disgusted with himself and feeling sick to his core, he picks up the piece of paper and opens it. 

“Addison Weaver.” He stares at the name: Addison. It sounds very nonthreatening, pleasant even. “What has she done?”  
   
Metatron scoffs. “Does it matter?”  
   
Gadreel wants to tell him yes, it does matter. If he is to take her life, he deserves to know what crime she has committed. And why it is greater than his own. But he doesn’t know how to ask the question without being insubordinate so he keeps his silence and continues to wipe down the bar. To his surprise, Metatron sighs in annoyance.  
   
“Fine, if you’re going to pout about it. One of the rogue Rit Zein came up with the genius idea to make a human into an angel anchor here on earth.”  
   
“An angel anchor?”  
   
Metatron rolls his eyes. “Yes, Gadreel, an anchor. Since Heaven is closed, so is the recharging station for angels who were killed in their vessels. There’s no place for them to go until this anchor was created. Now, any angel who dies here on earth becomes tethered to this…human,” he spits out the word as if it’s an oath.  
   
“But isn’t this a good thing? A place for our fallen brethren to go and continue to live?” Perhaps Abner is one such angel that is now tethered here on earth. He has a chance for forgiveness once more.  
   
“Think about that though. Hundreds of angels that die here, that become stuck to this nothing of a human, anxious to return to Heaven.” He shakes his head in dismay. “It’s an army waiting to power up and attack us.” He shrugs half-heartedly. “That is if the human is even capable to withstanding that many angels tied to her.”  
   
Perhaps they should attack us, he thinks to himself. What good are they really doing? He was forced into killing his own brothers to gain a place in Heaven. How is his reputation supposed to be restored by a bloodbath? Two angels, a prophet and now an anchor. What is next?  
   
“You do realize how important it is to find this girl and kill her? Our entire plan of rebuilding Heaven rests on her ceasing to exist.”  
   
He nods silently, his mouth too dry to answer.  
   
“Good.” Metatron raps sharply on the bar. “She’s in Denver, Colorado. I’ll be back in a few days to see how it went.”  
   
Gadreel nods once more and Metatron disappears from view. He finishes up drying the glasses and wiping down the kitchen area behind the bar before climbing up the back stairs of the establishment to the small apartment above the establishment. The sun is barely over the horizon, staining his living space with hues of pinks and purples. Cars are starting to increase in their number as businesses are opening. The sounds are deafening but the windows are already shut.  
   
He pulls out the slip of paper again and stares at the name once more. Addison, the Hebrew meaning of the name is “earth.” The irony is not lost on him.  
   
And he suddenly misses the Garden even more.

***

All Addison Weaver wants is to go back to being invisible. But she was the hometown hero, Denver’s miracle woman. Her face has been splashed across the local news reports and papers. Everyone greets her with hugs, smiles and tears. She hasn’t paid for a meal or even a cup of coffee in two weeks. Who knew all it took to be a celebrity was to wake up from a coma? 

She stumbles through the dark cemetery, glancing her shin off of a headstone. If her mouth wasn’t full of whiskey, she would have cursed. But the fact of the matter is very simple: she’s drunk, hurting and MIA from her own welcome home party. Someone with half a brain will find her eventually but hopefully not before she accomplishes her to do list. 

The moon is full, making it almost as bright as day. But Addy doesn’t need any light to find her family’s gravestones. She has walked the path to the trio of markers every day since she was released from the hospital. Tonight, even in a drunken stupor, she’s able to easily find her way to the burial plots. She takes her time at each one, raising the half empty whiskey bottle to each headstone. 

“Robert Jonathan Weaver. The best husband a wife could ask for. The best father two trouble making twins could ever have. When you said we could do anything, by God, you meant it.” 

She wipes her arm across her face, wiping away the tears until she see her mother’s name. 

“Cynthia Lynn Weaver. The kind of wife and mother that makes Martha Stewart look like a hack. Funny, pretty and with an indefinite amount of patience.” She has to take another swipe across her face. “I never went a day without knowing I was loved.” 

She stands in front the last marker and can’t bring herself to say anything. Words catch in her throat and tangle in her chest. She can barely read the name etched into the stone but she knows it as well as she knows her own. 

Micah Robert Weaver. He had been with her from the very beginning. They were co-conspirators and partners in crime. They knew what the other was thinking and were unstoppable when they put their minds to it. She raises the whiskey bottle to his tombstone and is only able to utter two words. 

“My twin.” 

She finishes off the bottle and sets it down on her brother’s grave before taking a step back so she can see all three markers. Her family is all gone and it is just too much to bear alone. And she isn’t going to be alone any more. Taking a deep breath, she is surprised to find the tears have stopped. Her drunken stupor lifts and for the first time since she has woken up in the hospital, she can breathe. 

Putting her hand into her coat pocket, she pulls out the revolver that she has hidden there. She looks at it sitting heavy in her hand, the moon gleaming off of the barrel. It was her father’s gun, the one he always kept in the bedside table in case someone broke in during the night. He was prepared for that kind of threat but not the one that eventually took him, his wife and son. There was no preparing for what happened that night with a drunk driver on a suspended license. 

“Miss Weaver?” 

Addy turns, expecting to see Matt Johnson, her ex-fiancé who married her best friend, coming to drag her home. But it’s not Matt who’s standing there. It’s a complete stranger, tall and built like a football player. She has no time for someone wishing to offer their sympathies and congratulations on her surviving something she had no business surviving. 

“Go away, please.” 

“You are Addison Weaver then.” 

She swings around and waves the gun. “Mister, when a girl says go away, she means it.” 

The fool actually takes a step towards her and suddenly she’s sober and clear minded. She aims the gun level to his chest, hands steady and aim accurate. He pauses and holds up his hands. 

“I do not want-” and he stops mid-sentence, as if he’s struggling for the words to finish his thought. 

“You don’t what?” 

“I do not want to hurt you.” 

“Well, that’s good but I’m about to hurt you if you don’t back up.” He finally takes a few steps away from her and she lowers the gun slightly. “Who are you?” 

Again, he looks like he’s struggling with words and Addy has enough. “You know what, I don’t really care. Just get lost buddy. In fact, there’s a big party happening at O’Malley’s Bar, about ten minutes down the road. Go, have fun.” 

She turns her back to him and goes back over to her brother’s grave. She thinks the stranger has left when he speaks again, softly and in an oddly clipped fashion. 

“The celebration is for you, is it not? A celebration of your survival of a car accident and your recovering from a three year coma.” 

“You a reporter?” 

“No.” 

“Then you’ve just come to stare at the town freak?” 

He shakes his head. “You are not a freak.” 

Addy squints, trying to take in the details of this strange man. He didn’t have a car or else she would have heard it, which means he walked into the cemetery. He isn’t dressed for the cold Colorado night in a leather jacket, sweatshirt hoodie and t-shirt. His face was broad, square and had way too many expressions for her to even attempt at deciphering in her mental state. 

“Alright, look, strange guy, I’m out here having some bonding time with my family and would like to be left in peace. So please, go away.” 

“I don’t...I don’t want to leave you here.” 

She sits down on the top of gravestone. “Why not?” 

“Because you’re going to harm yourself.” 

“I carry this for protection from creepy guys that like to stalk me in graveyards.” 

“Not tonight you didn’t. You carried it here so you can use it yourself.” 

Addy’s cheek twitches and her eyes burn with tears again. “How did you know that?” 

Before he can answer, another person appears next to her seemingly out of thin air. It startles her so badly, she jumps up and drops the gun. She stumbles, the backs of her knees catch a headstone and she topples backwards over it. She flails for something to stop her fall and catches the tip of a trench coat but it’s not enough to stop her. Her head connects to the marble base on the grave marker and everything goes black.


	2. The Anchor

Chapter Two: The Anchor

 

The clock radio suddenly comes to life and starts blasting Katy Perry’s “Waking up in Vegas” as Addy blindly reaches for the snooze button. Her head is killing her and she feels completely disoriented. Matt must have found her at the graveyard after the drinking binge and drug her back home. She is never going to live this one down. 

“Wakey, wakey Sleepy Beauty.” 

Addie burrows further into the blankets. “Go away, Matt.” 

“Fraid it’s not Matt.” 

The blankets are yanked away from her and the sunlight blinds her. There’s someone walking around her room but she can’t place who his is. Her eyes eventually adjust and it is not just a strange person standing at the foot of her bed that causes her alarm. She’s in her childhood bedroom, complete with single bed and Little Mermaid paraphernalia from floor to ceiling. 

The man is roughly her height, wiry and looking not quite amused. For all his seriousness, there is a hint of mischievousness at the corner of his mouth and in his eyes. His almost amber eyes. Addy groans and falls back onto the too small bed. 

“I’m having that Twilight dream again, aren’t I?” 

“Not quite. And I take offense at being associated with that disaster.” He kicks the bed. “Get up. We don’t have much time.” 

“For what?” 

“For me to explain to you what’s going on.” 

Addy pushes herself up on her elbows. “I know what’s going on. I’m having a hang over induced nightmare and you’re just my subconscious reminding me that I shouldn’t ever drink again. Duly noted. Now leave.” 

“Oh sister, you’re not even close.” 

He snaps his fingers and she finds herself standing on a beach, the ocean rolling in gently on the wide, sandy expanse. 

“What the-” 

“Not a beach person? Me either,” he snaps his fingers again and they’re peering over the Southern Rim of the Grand Canyon. 

“Afraid of heights?” he snaps again and they’re now in a field surrounded by massive rock face mountains and pine forests. She can hear a waterfall in the distance. 

“Yosemite.” 

He smiles crookedly. “Very good.” 

Things start falling into place in her mind. Her childhood room, a beach in San Diego, the Grand Canyon and now Yosemite. “These are all from my memories as a child.” 

“Now you’re getting it.” 

A cold feeling descended on her. “I’m in a coma again.” 

“So close, but not quite. You’re unconscious at the moment. Not deep enough to be in a coma but very much not awake.” 

Addy reaches out and touches the tops of the tall grass. She can feel them tickle her palms. The crispness of the outdoors and pine trees smell just as strongly as she remembers them back when she was ten. “This feels so real.” 

“They are real. These are memories of things that really happened to you. Memories hold much more weight than you realize.” 

She remembers their stay in Yosemite. They stayed in a cabin with bunk beds and she fell out of the top one, breaking her arm. She remembers Micah retrieving her battered panda bear out of the back of the car and tucking it in her good arm to try to stop her from crying while the rangers called for the onsite EMTs. She could still feel his shoulder resting against hers. 

“Memories hurt though. I don’t want to think about this.” She waves her hand in his direction. “Come on, snap me somewhere else.” 

“No. You need to stay here, remember the good things. The love of family, the joy that comes from it. Memories only hurt if you look at them from your present state. You need to remember them in the moments when they happened. That’s how good memories stay good.” 

“Why are you telling me this? What does it matter to you how I remember things?” 

“It matters because I, and many others, need you to live.” 

“I’m one very unimportant person. I was gone for three years and the world kept turning and people kept living. What’s the thing that makes me more special than my brother, or my mother or my father?” 

He holds her gaze in a very serious look. “Because you survived. You woke up and that changed everything.” 

Addy starts to ask him what he means when the outdoors drops away from her and she is standing in a hospital room. She immediately recognizes herself laying comatose in the bed, machines beeping and tubes hooked up to her. There’s a woman standing over with blonde hair and dressed in a suit who reaches out and places her hand on the still Addy’s head. 

“What’s happening?” 

“This is how you woke up,” he answers. “That woman, her name is Jael. She’s an angel.” 

“Angel? As in fluffy white wings and halo angel?” 

He halfway shrugs. “More or less.” 

Addy turns back to the scene in front of her, expecting to see a beautiful occurrence. How many people could say they were healed by an angel’s touch? But then the yelling starts. Addy watches as her body arches off the bed with a blinding white light. She is screaming as if being killed, her hands curled into claws and eyes wide open, filled with fear. 

As soon as it starts, it ends. The light disappears and takes the angel with it. Addy’s body goes back to being motionless on the bed as doctor’s and nurses come rushing into the room and the scene fades into the kitchen of her childhood home. She regards her guide with a leery eye now. 

“Are you an angel too?” 

“Archangel, actually.” He reaches for her mother’s cookie jar, pulling a couple out and eating them. 

“Michael?” 

He laughs. “No, no. I’m Gabriel.” 

“Gabriel the Archangel.” Addy shrugs and sits down at the kitchen table. “Well, why not? So what was the other angel doing to me exactly?” 

“She was writing sigils on your bones.” 

Addy isn’t sure if she likes where this is going but there isn’t much to done about anything at this point. “What exactly are the sigils for?” 

“They’re to make you our anchor.” 

“An anchor? For angels?” 

“Dead angels, yes.” 

“Why-” 

Without warning, her eyes open and she’s conscious. At first, all she can feel is the floor beneath her, cold and smooth. The scent of old motor oil and gasoline assaults her nose and causes her head to riot in a splitting headache. When she opens her eyes, she sees the empty rafters and broken out windows of the abandoned garage behind the cemetery. 

There is a flickering light dancing on the walls and she turns her head to see the strangest sight: three men she doesn’t recognize standing around a ring of fire where the man who had approached her in the graveyard was standing. The trio of men seemed upset, the focus of the anger seemed to be in the center of the fire. 

The thought of running crosses her mind but it is quickly replaced with the memory of the strange man saying he wasn’t there to hurt her, that he was willing to stay with her so she wouldn’t hurt herself. She feels around in her pockets to find her gun has been confiscated or is still laying on the ground in the cemetery. She has no way of defending herself against whoever these men are so she uses the only weapon she has: confidence. 

She tries to walk in a straight and steady line but stills feels very wobbly from the alcohol and the head injury. As she comes closer to the group, the man in the fire circle establishes eye contact. But for all the emotions she saw flicker across his face in the graveyard, he remains unreadable and completely expressionless now. But his acknowledgement of her presence turns the trio’s attention to her. Standing up as tall as possible and trying not to wince in pain, she gives them all a solid nod. 

“Gentlemen.” 

It was the man in the trench coat that speaks first. “Are you Addison Weaver?” 

She is an angel anchor, whatever that means. She assumes it is something important which is why she has all these people looking for her. There could be more on their way and she doesn’t know who to trust. So she puts her hands in coat pockets and doesn’t answer. “Who are you all exactly?” 

The man farthest from her points to himself, the man standing standing closest to her and then to the trench coat. “Dean, Sam and Cas. You Addison or not?” 

Addy looks at the man trapped in the fire ring. “And him?” 

“Bad guy, don’t worry about him,” Dean answers. 

“No offense but I’m a little worried about everyone in the room right now.” 

“Alright, look,” Sam steps up. “We’re looking for Addison because she’s...” 

She can tell he’s searching for the right word that won’t make any of them sound insane. She hated to break it to him, it was a little too late for that. “An angel anchor?” 

“You know?” Cas asks. 

Addy nods slightly. “Just that. I don’t know what it means.” 

“It means you’re in danger. From people like him,” Sam motions to the man in the circle. 

“He said he wasn’t going to hurt me.” 

Sam hands her a piece of paper. “We found this in his pocket.” 

She opens it and finds her name written on it. “Okay.” 

“It’s a hit list from another angel, Metatron.” 

“What? Like the transformer?” 

Cas interrupts them. “We don’t have time to explain. There are other angels on their way and I don’t know what they want. We need to keep you hidden for now.” 

“I’m going to need a little more explained to me before I run off with the likes of you three to some safe house. For all I know, you guys are the bad ones.” 

“Go with them.” The trapped man finally speaks up. “They will keep you safe.” 

Addy turns to Dean and raises an eyebrow. “Some bad guy you trapped there.” 

Dean waves a short, metallic sword in her direction. “You don’t know the history here and we don’t have the time to explain it to you.” 

“How convenient.” 

“So what’s it going to take for you to come with us?” Sam asks. 

It is a legitimate question and Addy doesn’t have a good answer. She’s tired, hungover and emotionally drained. Quite frankly, she’s hoping this too is just a terrible dream that she’ll eventually wake up from. She really doesn’t want to get involved in whatever is happening between the four men. But she reasons she’s already part of it, whether she likes it or not. 

“It’s too late,” Cas says and draws his own strange sword, exactly like Dean’s. “The other angels are here.” 

Addy turns to see a woman stepping through the broken door of the garage. She’s dressed in a gray suit, heels clicking on the concrete. She’s wearing dark framed glasses, blonde hair swept up neatly on her head. And Addy knows exactly who she is.

“Jael.” 

She smiles sweetly but with an edge. “Aw, you remember me.” 

Dean and Sam look over at Cas who has placed himself between Addy and the newcomer. 

“Jael was the Rit Zein that was assigned to my garrison. Why would you do this?” 

She pushes the glasses up her nose. “Because our fallen brothers and sisters needed a place to go. Do you know what happens to angels who don’t have a charging station? They cease to exist. All those angels who died in the fall, there’s no bringing them back. Now, there’s a place for the one who die here and the ones who were already in the charging station to go.” 

“A human though?” 

“Angels can’t charge angels. We needed a conduit.” 

“Some humans can’t contain an angel.” 

Jael’s mouth twists unpleasantly. “Tell me about it. This is my third vessel.” 

Cas frowns. “So what makes you think one human can be an anchor for hundreds of dead angels?” 

“One human can’t. That’s why I need watch this anchor closely and make a new one when she’s close to death.” She tilts her head to the side and motions towards Addy. “Come along, dear.” 

Addy feels like she’s going to throw up. The idea of trusting the four men behind her suddenly has some appeal. “No.” 

Jael frowns. “If you insist on doing this the hard way, so be it.” 

The bay doors open and a group of what Addy suspects are other angels enter the garage. She counts ten but there could be more. Cas, Sam and Dean form a barrier between her and the approaching angels. She retreats back to the man trapped in the fire ring. 

“You said you weren’t going to hurt me.” She fixes him with a steady gaze. “Did you mean that?” 

His eyes keep darting to the upcoming confrontation. “I did.” 

“If I let you out of there, will you help?” 

“Fighting that many angels is going to be difficult. I am...not at full strength yet.” 

“Then we’ll have to be smart about this.” The voices are starting to rise and those odd looking swords were all drawn now. Addy finds a piece of pressed wood and carries it over to the fire ring. “If I drop this down, will you be able to get out?” 

He nods. “I will.” 

“It doesn’t sound like they want me hurt.” 

“They don’t. Your protection is every angel’s priority right now.” 

Addy can’t believe what she is about to say next. “Good. Then you’re going to take me hostage and demand everyone leave then.” 

His brow furrows. “I don’t want-” 

“To harm me, yes, I know. That’s what I’m counting on. Do you have one of those metal things too?” 

He holds up his own weapon, a stunned look still on his face. 

Addy takes a deep breath and drops the board across the flames. He’s on her immediately, one arm restraining her and the other holding the blade against her throat. 

“I am sorry about this,” he whispers in her ear. 

Addy swallows and hopes, for the first time in weeks, that she will survive the night.


	3. Run

Chapter Three: Run

Gadreel’s mind is reeling. Thousands of years of silence, pain and disgust from his brethren finds him staring through holy fire at a human who is looking at him as if he can help her. Even when Dean Winchester was asking him for his help to save Sam, there was a cautiousness about him. But Addison Weaver has no caution, no doubt. She believes him when he says he won’t hurt her, she trusts him enough to break the holy fire ring and release him. 

This is his second chance. He can not erase the things he did but he can certainly try to make up for them. Protecting the anchor, being the hero she thought he was, is a good place to start. He just wishes it could be done in another way other than holding an angel blade to her throat and feel her stiffen in fear even though this was her idea. He had been designed for protection, not for the violence he had been committing. 

The Winchesters and Castiel are not the ones he’s concerned with driving away so he makes eye contact with Jael. He remembers the Rit Ziens from his times with Thaddeus. His tormentor would sometimes have one on hand when he decided to get artistic. He had begged one to smite him once, to end it all but she had refused. They were the more compassionate of angels but staring down Jael, he could only see a bully determined to have her way. 

Until she sees the blade against Addison’s throat. 

“Stop!” she shouts and all the angels she brought with her do as they’re told. 

Castiel and the Winchesters turn to see what has caused Jael’s change of mind and it is Dean that sums up their expressions with an exasperated “sonofabitch.” 

“What do you want, Gadreel?” Jael asks. 

Hearing his name from another angel takes him by surprise. But he realizes that she is a healer, of course she would have known who he was if she had spent any time in Heaven’s prison. “I want you to leave.” 

Dean bristles. “Not happening, pal.” 

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Gadreel glances at Dean before turning back to Jael. “I was talking to her. You and your followers need to leave now.” 

Jael frowns but motions for her group to leave. Reluctantly, they retreat out of the garage. 

“Now you need to go.” 

Jael shakes her head. “I can’t do that.” 

Gadreel takes a deep breath and tightens his grip on Addison, who lets out a whimper. He clenches his jaw to keep the disgust he feels about his actions from showing. But Addison must be playing her part convincingly because Jael starts to look panicked. 

“Wait! Just wait,” she cries desperately. “I made her, alright. I made her the anchor. I know what that means for her, the things that she’s going to experience. She needs guidance, I can offer that.” 

Addison emits another strained noise but Gadreel can hear the true emotion behind it: fear. Castiel and Winchesters look unconvinced but Addison taps his arm, a request to let her go now. 

“I’ll give you the angel blade,” he whispers to her and she nods. 

Her hand opens and he places the handle in her palm before stepping away from her, his hands raised. Sam and Dean don’t hesitate to back him into the fire ring and close the gap with more holy oil. Addison stands where he left her, her grip half hearted on the angel blade. It is the best he can do for her, letting her hold a weapon even if she didn’t know how to use it. However, all it takes is Jael’s quick approach and Addison tightens her grip and points the blade in the angel’s direction. 

“I want answers, alright?” Addison says. “But I need a chance to digest some of these things. I need some time to myself.” 

“We can’t let you go out there by yourself,” Jael insists. 

“Fine.” Addison points to Gadreel. “He can come with me.” 

Dean scoffs. “What part of ‘bad guy’ did you not understand?” 

She glares at Dean. “What part of him holding a knife to my neck and not hurting me did you fail to see? I told him to do that to clear the place. Right now, he’s been the only one here who’s had the opportunity to harm me and hasn’t. I’m going home for a few hours to shower and wrap my head around this. You want me to have a babysitter, fine. I get to pick who it is.”

Gadreel watches as Addison kicks the wooden board back down into the fire, giving him a way of escape again. But Dean is looking murderous and Addison is scared and tired so he stays where he is. Sometimes a cage is the safest place. But it is Sam that provides a third choice and breaks the standoff. 

“Here, take these.” He hands Addison a set of handcuffs and a key. “They have angel traps engraved in the metal. It’ll protect you from him in case his motives are...not the best.” 

“Sam-” Dean starts but Sam cuts off his brother with a frown. 

“Well, your way wasn’t getting us anywhere.” He looks down at Addison. “She wants to know she can trust us. So let’s give her reason to.” 

Addison takes the cuffs from Sam and turns towards Gadreel. He can see it in her eyes the worry and the apology. She really doesn’t want to do this. She does trust him. And its because of that he willingly steps out of the fire and puts his arms out towards her, letting her snap the cuffs around his wrists. Suddenly he’s cut off from angel radio again. His power is tempered immensely to the point of making him feel ill. It’s like being in Heaven’s prison all over again. 

Addison lays her jacket over his hands to hide the cuffs. “I’m sorry.” 

That takes him aback more than the cuffs. He had apologized for thousands of years, screamed it at the top of his lungs and no one listened. No one believe him. Having someone apologize to him has never happened before. And he refuses to do what everyone else had done to him: he answers her. 

“It’s okay.” He tries to smile but the sick feeling of being cut off from all the angels makes it difficult. 

Castiel steps forward. “You really should have one other person go with you. Someone that can actually defend you if needed.” 

Addison glances over to him before addressing Castiel. “Are you volunteering?” 

“Yes.” 

“Fine. But that’s it, no one else.” 

***

The sun is just starting to come up by the time Addy opens the front door of her home. She still struggles with the idea of living in the home that was actually her parents but she has no place else to go. She is thankful no one sold it while she languished for three years in a hospital bed. It was Matt and his family that maintained it for whatever the future held. Even though she is grateful for that, another part of her wishes for a completely fresh start. 

“This is a lovely home.”

Addy turns to see it was Cas who had spoken. “Well, it’s certainly not Heaven.” 

He shrugs slightly. “No. It’s much warmer than Heaven. More comfortable.” 

Addy looks at the other angel, Gadreel is what Jael called him, who is still cuffed. “Really?” 

He shakes his head slightly as if he doesn’t have an answer for her so she turns back to Cas who continues in his chatty mood. 

“Heaven for humans is perfect, peaceful. Not so much for the angels.” 

Addy pulls out a pitcher of orange juice from the refrigerator and pours herself a glass. “Place of business for you guys?” 

“Yes, very much so.” 

“Do you want anything to eat or drink?” 

They both shake their heads. 

“Okay then. Can you play nicely while I take a shower?” 

Cas frowns at her. “Play what?” 

“Monopoly.” 

“I’ve never played that game before.” 

Addy doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the two confused looks she is getting. “Can you two get along while I take a shower?” 

“Yes, we can,” Cas agrees. “Though, do you have a basement?” 

“Why?” 

Cas’ words seem to dry up so the other angel speaks up. “For my own safety. Dean and Sam Winchester are not very...forgiving towards things that I’ve done.” 

Addy narrows her eyes. “What did you do?” 

Cas finds his words again. “He killed the Prophet.” 

“The prophet? Why?” She has no idea who “the prophet” is but she isn’t sure what an angel anchor is either.

Gadreel shifts uncomfortably, the cuffs clinking against each other. “I was told he was a threat and needed to be eliminated.” 

“Who told you that?” Cas demands. 

“Metatron.” 

Addy waves her hands. “Alright. I’m starting to get overwhelmed again. Yes, I have a basement. If it’s in everyone’s best interest, go ahead and take him down there but no pushing him down the stairs or beating him up or anything like that.” 

Cas frowns but nods. “Very well.” 

 

Addy opens the door that leads downstairs to the basement and waits just in case Cas decides to not abide by his promise to play nicely. It sounds fairly quiet so she goes up stairs and closes the door to her room, locking it. After a second thought, she takes her desk chair and lodges it underneath the doorknob.  
   
She hadn’t been lying when she said she needed time to sort these things out for herself but the questions just kept piling up. She goes to her closet and grabs a duffle bag, throwing clothes into it as quickly as possible. Once that task was done, she retrieves another bag from the back of her closet. This one is well-worn canvas and held even more questions for her.  
   
When the family attorneys had been going over the will after she woke up, there were special instructions surrounding what was in the bag. She had been reeling from the discovery that her family was all gone that she couldn’t remember what they had told her concerning the bag’s contents. She had looked in it once but quickly closed it again as it all looked like junk tossed in there: containers of salt, lighters, knives and a bunch of old leather bound books. It was mostly like crap from a yard sale but the lawyers had handled it with care. Now, with two angels in her home and more on the way, she wondered if it contained more than she thought.  
   
She also isn’t prepared to head out on her own. She goes into the bathroom and turns on the shower so Cas won’t get suspicious as to why she has barricaded herself in her room. Micah’s room is on the other side of the bathroom and she slips in there. She tries not to think about her brother as she gathers up some his clothes and shoves them into his backpack he would take when he hiked. She doesn’t know if the clothes will fit the angel in the basement but she takes them anyway.  
   
With the three bags ready to go, she opens Micah’s window which faces the back of the house. She drops all three into the bushes and hopes no one noticed. After no one comes to investigate, she climbs out of the window and climbs down the trellis as she had done hundreds of times in high school. When she drops to the ground, she’s directly outside the basement window. Peering in, she sees that Gadreel is alone, sitting on one of the spare dining room chairs and still handcuffed.  
   
Addy lifts the window and breathes a sigh of relief at finding it unlocked. But when she pokes her head through, Gadreel looks ready to shout so she puts her finger to her lips and he closes his mouth. She slips through the window and pulls the handcuff keys out of her pocket. She unlocks the cuffs and catches them before they fall to the ground. She motions over to the window and Gadreel, confused at the entire course of events, does as she wants and moves towards the window. Addy leaves the cuffs and key on the chair and goes back out the window. She hands him her brother’s backpack and her bag of clothes before picking up the mysterious bag and slipping through the privacy fencing along the side of the house. Once they were a block away from her home, Addy finally speaks to him.  
   
“I don’t suppose you have a car by any chance.”  
   
“I do.”  
   
“Really?” She doesn’t know why that surprises her but it does.  
   
“It is parked over by the cemetery.”  
   
At least they were headed in the right direction. “Cemetery it is.”  
   
They make it back to his car, an older black sedan of some sort that is parked alongside the road. He opens the trunk and they drop all the bags in before getting into the car itself.  
   
“Where are we going?”  
   
Addy snaps her seatbelt on. It’s the first time she’s been in a car since Matt drove her home from the hospital and she tries not to throw up. “We’re on the run, Gadreel. It doesn’t matter where we go just as long as its far away from here.”  
   
He turns the key and the car starts but he doesn’t put it into gear. “The Winchesters are good men. They can and will help you if you let them. And Jael seems to know all about what it means to be an angel anchor. I’m afraid I’m less…informed on these matters.”  
   
“I have an angel who’s on the other side that can explain things to me when I pass out or go into a deep sleep.” She twists her hands around the nylon strap. “And I have you to protect me, right?”  
   
He nods slowly. “Yes, you have me to protect you.”  
   
“Then let’s go.”  
   
Reluctantly, he puts the car into drive and they start driving in a Northern direction. Addy presses her cheek against the glass and gives in to her tears until she falls asleep.


	4. Bloodlines

Chapter Four: Bloodlines

Sam knows when they pull up to the suburban home and see Cas sitting on the front porch, it is not going to be good news.

“Ten bucks she split,” Dean says as he gets out of the car.

Jael grimaces. “You better hope she hasn’t.”

Sam really doesn’t like the sound of that. “Why not?”

“One of the perks of being an angel anchor,” Jael explains. “She’s immune to angelic power. Smiting, healing, teleporting, all of it won’t affect her. I never should have let her out of my sight.”

“That explains why I couldn’t track her.” Cas’ frown grows deeper. “She took Gadreel with her.”

“Perfect,” Dean opens the unlocked front door. “That’s just perfect.”

Sam follows him into the house. “How do we know she took him and it’s not the other way around?”

Cas holds up the empty angel cuffs with the key. “They were both sitting on the chair downstairs. Only Addison had the key.”

Jael crosses her arms. “And you let them alone together?”

“No,” Cas sounds offended. “I put him downstairs in the basement and she went upstairs to shower and be alone. I never saw her come back downstairs. I just went up to check on her and found the door to her room locked and the shower running but she was gone.”

Sam goes through the kitchen and into the living room where there’s a large deck off the back of the house. He opens the sliding glass door and steps outside to get a look at the side of the home. It’s just what he expected.

“Trellis?” Dean asks.

Sam nods. “Trellis. Looks like she dropped some bags into the bushes by the basement window too.”

“She went prepared then.” Dean turns to Jael. “You’ve been tailing her since she woke up. Any ideas where she would go?” 

Jael shakes her head. “She has no more family to go to. Her fiancé is married to her best friend who ironically where having a baby shower the day she woke up. She has no one to latch on to right now.” 

“Explains why she dialed in to Gadreel.” Sam notices there are a lot of places in the living room where family pictures used to be. “How long as she been awake?” 

“About two and half weeks.” 

That isn’t nearly enough time for her to grieve the loss of her family. Removing pictures of her lost loved ones wasn’t the sign of a healthy mindset. “We need to find her and fast.” 

Dean is busy going through a desk that was in a den area of the living room. “Seems to me, she made her choice and isn’t our problem anymore.” 

“Actually,” Cas speaks up, “she is the angel’s problem.” 

Sam frowns. “But if she’s an anchor for dead angels, wouldn’t the angels want to protect her?” 

Cas shakes his head. “As you know the majority of angels aren’t that fond of humanity. Having a human anchor will be seen as an insult at the least, an abomination at the worst.” 

“Being ejected from Heaven should change some of their minds though,” Jael countered. “I think there will be more angels willing to protect her then destroy her.” 

“Are you sure of that?” Cas asks. 

Jael looks doubtful and that makes Sam’s mind up. “So we find her then and we protect her. How did you choose her to be the anchor?”

“The same way angels choose vessels,” Jael answers. “I picked a strong bloodline.” 

“Bingo,” Dean holds up a stack of papers. “Credit card and bank account numbers. She has to eat and sleep and with these, we can track her.” 

Sam raises his eyebrows. “So much for not being our problem.” 

“I’m more interested in kicking the ass of her road trip buddy. The angels can worry about Thelma, I want Louise.” 

“I agree with Dean,” Cas says. “Gadreel was sent to kill her and he may have by now. The sooner we find him, the greater chance we have of saving the anchor and finding where Metatron is.” 

“Alright,” Sam starts for the front door, “I’ll grab my computer and see if they’ve withdrawn any funds yet.” 

He has to admit as he walks down the front front steps of the house and looks around the upper class neighborhood, he feels the urgency to find Addison more than Gadreel at this point. From what little he can tell from the house and its location, she had lived a nice life until now. Family, friends, enough money to at least be comfortable. Now she is alone, hurt and tangled up in the affairs of angels. 

Situations like this never ended well. 

He also needs to make sure to find out more about the Weaver bloodline from Jael. Perhaps there is still family out there for Addison. 

***  
Billings, Montana isn’t a sprawling city but Gadreel hopes it’s large enough to hide them for the night. He pulls on some of the knowledge and experiences he had when Sam was his vessel which lands them in a seedy bar with an equally seedy motel behind it for the night. His concern for Addison, who hasn’t said a word since they left Denver, is starting to change into exasperation.

It’s either her silence or the constant ringing of his phone that is the cause of his emotional spike. He pulls out the vibrating phone, sees it is Metatron calling again for an update and he silences it once more. Four missed phone calls. Metatron is starting to get suspicious. Addison eyes the phone that he set down on the table with suspicion of her own. 

“Is that the guy who wants me dead?”

The time of lying is over. He’s so tired of the deceit and the subterfuge. He had been a good and honorable angel and he intends to be that again. The first step is to stop the lying. “Yes, it is.”

“You not answering is going to raise some alarm.”

“I’m afraid it already has.”

Addison shifts in her chair and narrows her eyes. “You’re really not going to kill me, are you? You’re not even going to hand me over to this guy.”

“I told you I would protect you and I will.”

“Why? And don’t hand me the ‘you’re the anchor’ excuse.”

Hiding and deflecting has become second nature to him that he has to stop himself before he answers with a rote reason. Honesty, that is what she is looking for, what she needs from him right now. “I will tell you my story but not here, not out in the open.”

“You’re running too, aren’t you?”

Her tone confuses him. Instead of being accusatory, she sounds almost sad. “I am.”

“Fair enough. You tell me your story when you’re ready.” She finishes off her beer and starts to stand up. “I was wondering if maybe you could help me figure out a little mystery.”

 “Of course.” It’s an olive branch and he grasps it as soon as it’s offered.

“But first,” she points to the phone, “you have to get rid of that. I don’t know how tech savvy this guy is but he might be able to track that phone with a GPS locator.”  
Gadreel hasn’t thought about that. Technology still confounds him at times. “What do you suggest I do with it?”

She glances around the bar before picking up the phone and dropping it into a half empty water glass on another table that hasn’t been cleared yet. “The water will short out the circuitry and hopefully disable the GPS.”

“I will remember that for the future.” 

He hopes it works and that Metatron won’t be able to find them for the night. He stays close to Addison as they walk through the dark parking lot. He doesn’t see any angels lurking about that doesn’t mean they’re not there. As soon as they’re in the room, he draws sigils on the door, curtains and walls of the room. 

“I’m glad we paid for the room in cash.” 

Gadreel smiles as he caps the marker. “I can make them disappear before we leave and no one will know.” 

Addison retrieves the old canvas duffle bag and puts it on the bed. She has been protective of the bag ever since she uncuffed him in the basement early that morning. Only she carries it, opens it and peers inside. He’s left it alone completely, never even offering to carrying it for her despite the weight of it. It’s Addison’s and he leaves it at that. The fact that she trusts him enough to open it and show him the contents causes his chest to constrict uncomfortably.  
   
“This was my Aunt Jen’s. She left it to my mother who in turn, left it to me. I don’t know what it means and I thought maybe you might.”  
   
She pauses slightly before unzipping the bag. She trusts him but not completely, he can see that in the corner of her mouth and her downcast eyes. It strikes him how similar they are, scared and alone, tossed out into a world they don’t understand. He doesn’t know who to trust and neither does she so they will have to trust each other. He stands back, giving her a wide open space as she starts to pull a variety of objects out of the bag and lays them out on the bed in neat rows.  
   
The fact that the majority of them are familiar to him makes his palms itch. Salt, lighters, knives, a couple machetes, bullets and a couple guns. “Your aunt was a hunter.”  
   
Addison frowns as she drops a stack of books on the bed, emptying out the bag. “No, I don’t think she hunted a day in her life. My Dad did though.”  
   
He searches the memories of his vessel for another meaning of hunter and understands what Addison is saying. “Not hunting game. Hunting things of a supernatural nature.”  
   
She laughs nervously. “What, like ghosts and goblins?”  
   
“Yes.” He remembers how Sam would have a list in his mind that he would set on repeat whenever he and Dean when on a hunt. The monster was listed first, followed by the method of destruction. He steps up to the bed and points to the various the weapons, recalling that list to his own mind now.  
   
“Ghost, salt and burn. Werewolf, silver bullet. Vampire, decapitation. Shape shifter, silver knife.” She trusted him with these things and it was time to match that trust. He pulls his own weapon from inside his coat and lays it on the bed with the other things. “Angel blade. It’ll kill both angels and demons.”  
   
 “My aunt was a hunter.” Addison pulls out one of the chairs at the table by the window and sits down heavily. “Is that what Dean and Sam are, hunters?”  
   
He sits down across from her. “Yes, they are.”  
   
She opens up one of the leather bound journals and starts to flip through the pages. “You’re right. These are instructions she wrote down on how to get rid of these…things. Dates, places, monsters…every page of it.”  
   
“Your Aunt was a brave woman then.”  
   
“Or crazy.”  
   
“Says the woman who is an angel anchor on the run with a fugitive angel.”  
   
A brief smile tugs at the corner at her mouth. “True.” But the smile quickly disappears when she pulls out a loose, folded up piece of paper and opens it. “What did you say Dean and Sam’s last name was?”  
   
Suddenly he’s afraid to answer. Her eyes are glassy, her hands trembling. He can’t see what the paper says in front of her but it is something that is causing her distress. The truth, though, he must answer with the truth. “Winchester.”  
   
“That’s what I thought.” She smoothes the paper out and slides it across the table to him. “Please tell me this is a coincidence.”  
   
He reads the top heading of the paper, “Birth Certificate.” The name of the child born is Addison Jean Palmer. The mother was Jennifer Palmer, the father John Winchester. Once again, he shuffled through Sam’s memories that lingered in his mind and confirmed John Winchester was indeed Dean and Sam’s father.  
   
“It’s not a coincidence, is it? They’re my half brothers, aren’t they?”  
   
The truth is going to shatter her illusion of her family. If he confirmed her suspicions, she would lose her mother, father and brother all over again. Her parents weren’t her parents. Her twin brother wasn’t her second half. The aunt she never had a chance to know was now a mother she could never know and her father was a complete stranger. He picked the wrong day to start telling the truth.  
   
“Yes, they are.”  
   
She looks at the birth certificate again and folds it once more, tucking it back into the journal. “Is that why you wanted me to stay with them?”  
   
“I did not know of your relation at the time. I just knew they are good and honorable men.”  
   
Addison nods slowly before standing up and putting things back into the bag. “I think that’s enough crazy for tonight.”

As much as it pains him to throw away his chance at redeeming himself, he has to do the right thing. “If you wish to go back, I will take you back to them.” 

She shakes her head solemnly. “Blood doesn’t make you family. It just makes you related.” 

He wants to ask her to explain the statement but refrains. She’s distressed and rightfully so. He stays silent and helps her repack the canvas bag.


	5. The Past

_“I have been talking of the past (your past and mine) only in order that you may turn from it forever. One wrench and the tooth will be out. You can begin as if nothing had ever gone wrong.” - C.S. Lewis_  
   
Jael is completely out of sorts. She has never taken a vessel, never confined herself to a human body. The Rit Zien’s are known to be the smaller of the angels but what they lack in size, they make up for in power. Even though her vessel contains her well enough, she still feels constricted.  
   
The worst part of fall, other than the broken wings, is listening to angel radio. So many of her brothers and sisters were injured, damaged and crying out in pain and confusion. She had been too wounded herself to go to any of their aid at first. Then when she was healed up, she had to track down as many Rit Zien’s as she could find to prevent another incident like Ephraim’s rampage from happening again. Add the finding of Addison Weaver and making an anchor out of her, Jael actually finds herself content to explore Addison’s home.  
   
Sam seemed curious about the missing photos in the living room and so Jael starts the search for them. Castiel and Dean were out talking to the community about Addison and any place she may be hiding. Sam is upstairs monitoring any and all financial data that might pop up. But Jael knows it’s going to be a few days before anything solid to track comes their way. She followed Addison for two weeks, the girl is highly intelligent. Broken, but intelligent.  
   
She finds a box of framed photos in the basement and since it is one of the few boxes without dust collecting on it, she assumes she’s found the missing pictures. She carries the box up the stairs and sets it on the end of the table where Sam has set up his computer.  
   
He stands up and stretches. “Did you find them?”  
   
“I think so.” She starts to take a few out of the box and set them on the table. “It looks like it’s just of her parents and brother though. No other family members.”  
   
Sam flips through some that are still in the box. “It’s worth a shot though. You mentioned something about picking her because of her bloodline. What bloodline is that exactly?”  
   
Jael almost drops the picture she is holding. He doesn’t know that Addison is related to him and Jael isn’t sure how to go about telling him. Thankfully she’s saved by Dean and Cas who return noisily through the front door and make a bee line for the kitchen. Sam’s still waiting for an answer from her so she greets Dean and Cas instead.  
   
“Did you find out anything?”  
   
“You could say that.”  Dean pulls a couple of beers out of the refrigerator, hands one to Sam and opens his own. “Apparently, we have a sister.”  
   
Cas continues the explanation. “We met with a store owner who had hunter symbols on the door and he told us the whole story. There was a hunter who lived not that far from here, a Jennifer Palmer. She kept her lifestyle a secret from everyone, including her family. She came across a nest of vampires and needed some back up so she sent out a call which John Winchester answered.“  
   
“Good ole, Dad,” Dean chimed in. “Nine months later, Addison Jean Palmer is born. Two months after that, Jennifer gets taken out by a vampire that survived the year before. But Jennifer had a sister, Cynthia Weaver, who had just had a kid of her own.”  
   
“Addison’s ‘twin’ brother,” Sam concludes.  
   
Dean nods. “Yup. Cynthia and her husband raised the two of them together as if they were siblings so Addison wouldn’t know what really happened to her parents.”

Sam turns to Jael. “Is that why you didn’t answer my question about what bloodline Addison is from? Because you already knew she was a Winchester.”  
   
“In my defense, I thought you and Dean were already aware of her relation to you.”  
   
“What made you think that?”  
   
“You showed up. I thought you were coming to protect and collect her.”  
   
“And you would have just let us do that?” Dean asks. “Pack her up in the back of Impala and ride off into the sunset?”  
   
“With my coming along to properly explain the matter and help her through this, yes.” Dean openly scoffs and Jael looks to Sam. “Why wouldn’t I do that?”  
   
“Our interactions with angels usually don’t go smoothly.”  
   
“Why am I not very surprised by that?”  
   
“Any financial movement yet?”  Dean asks.  
   
Sam shakes his head. “No, not yet. My guess is they’re either driving through the night or they paid cash somewhere. I don’t know if we’re going to find them this way. All the tricks we know about flying under the radar, Gadreel knows. If he wants to go underground, he very well could.”

Dean sets his beer down on the kitchen counter. “Here’s the real question of the day. Does Addison know who she really is?” 

Jael shakes her head. “No, she doesn’t. Which is imperative that we find her. If she finds out on her own, there’s no telling how she is going to handle it.”  
“Well, if she is a Winchester,” Castiel says, “she’ll handle it just fine.” 

Sam raises his beer. “And it might be Gadreel’s safety we need to be concerned about.” 

Jael hopes that the momentary good humor will last but not distract them from finding Addison. An angel anchor had never been made before and there were so many unknown factors concerning it. There are too many things that could go awry and Jael didn’t want to a massacre on her record thanks to Addison being unable to control herself.   
   
***  
   
They are on the road before the sun has broken over the mountains. Addy barely slept through the night, her mind trying to process too many things. Angels, long lost brothers, staying on the run from those who want to kill her or use her. It makes her head hurt and her stomach knot. She needs to focus on something else, something mundane.  
   
“So what did you do last night while I was sleeping?”  
   
Gadreel glances over at her briefly. “I found a book in the dresser drawer and read the majority of it.”  
   
“You read a phone book?”  
   
“No. The Bible.”  
   
Addy tries not to laugh. “Aren’t you an angel? Don’t you already know what’s in there?”  
   
His hands tighten on the steering wheel. “I was detained for most of the events found in that book.”  
   
“Detained? Doing what?” He doesn’t answer her and Addy understands that detained wasn’t used to mean busy but rather he was locked up. “I’m sorry, forget I asked.”  
   
They drive for almost two hours before Gadreel stops to refill the car. Addy gets out and goes into the small connivance store to stock up on snack food and other necessities. She sees postcards and touristy knick knacks that have “Yellowstone National Park” emblazoned on them. So they were heading west now. She goes outside to find he’s parked the car in the corner of the lot and is sitting on the hood, looking at the scenery. She hands him one of the two cups of coffee she bought and joins him on the hood of the car.  
   
“Welcome to Yellowstone National Park. Well, the outskirts of it anyway.”  
   
“The terrain in this country differs greatly depending on where you are.”  
   
“That’s one nice thing about living in this particular part of the world. There are many different landscapes to choose from. Mountains, beach, plains. Hell, you can even live in a swamp if you want.”  
   
“And what landscape do you enjoy the most?”  
   
Addy thinks about for it a moment. She has always loved the outdoors, the wildness of nature. It was difficult to choose. “There’s this little town in California, not too far from San Francisco, called Olema. It’s in an area where there are hiking trails through forests and you can see the rolling hills that are inland. But you can also drive half hour and be on the rocky coastal beaches. It’s a little bit of everything and I like that. What about you?”  
   
He shakes his head slightly. “It does not matter to me. I like open spaces. Whether they are filled with trees or mountains or nothing at all, I enjoy it all.”  
   
Addy keeps her mouth shut. She is dying to ask him about his past, what great crime he committed that sentenced him to be imprisoned. From his desire for open space, she can only imagine how long and terrible his imprisonment had to have been. It seems as though he picks up on her thoughts because when he speaks again, it takes her completely off guard.  
   
“I allowed the Serpent into the Garden.”  
   
She can’t figure out if it’s code for something or if it’s to be taken literally. “I don’t quite understand. Are you talking about Eden?”  
   
He’s no longer staring out at the scene in front of them but rather directly into the cup of coffee. “I am. I let Lucifer into Eden.”  
   
“Why did you let him in?” Addy wraps her hands around her cup and keeps her tone as flat as possible so he won’t think she is being accusatory. The distress in the line of his shoulders and tension in his jaw told her she was one of the very few people who have ever heard the story first hand. Quite possibly, she’s the only one who has listened to it from start to finish.  
   
“Lucifer had not rebelled yet, not completely. He told me that he had spoken to his Father, repented and asked for restoration. In order to attain it, he was to befriend the humans. Live among them for a period of time to show the change of his attitude towards humanity. I checked with other angels to confirm if it was true and they repeated back the same story as Lucifer had told me. I did not know that their loyalty was to Lucifer already.”  
   
“So you let him in.”  
   
He grimaces. “I did more than that. I showed him the entire Garden. I showed him the trees and the flowers and the animals. And then, I took him to the humans and left him there. I thought…”  
   
“You were putting the family back together. And they locked you up for that?” If that was true, then he had been locked up for more time than Addy cares to count.  
   
“I destroyed humanity.”  
   
Addy feels tears pricking the back of her eyes. He sounded completely despondent as if he were the one who set out to destroy Paradise. “You offered your help to restore a fellow angel. It’s not your fault he lied to you.”  
   
“I believed him.”  
   
“So did Eve. So have a lot of people. You may have been the first one Lucifer lied to but you certainly aren’t the last.”  
   
He looks close to tears himself but they’re held at bay from sheer confusion. “My mistake destroyed the world. How can you not be angry with me? Everything that is wrong with the world, the war, death, illness, that is because of what I have done.”  
   
And in that moment, Addy realizes she is looking at herself. The car accident that took her family happened on the way back from a celebratory dinner for her acceptance into graduate school. If she hadn’t asked to go, her family would still be here. But she didn’t know that was going to happen, just as he didn’t know what Lucifer was planning. They were different sides of the same coin. Perhaps that is why they survived their ordeals, to help each other. He promised to protect her and she will remind him daily that mistakes can be forgiven.  
   
“Look out there. Look at the mountains and the meadows. There’s probably wildlife we can’t even see roaming around down there. Does that look like a destroyed world to you? Look at those people over there, buying gas, getting coffee and going about their day. They look relatively happy, don’t they? Sure, there’s pain and suffering in the world but it would have happened sooner or later. If Eve hadn’t taken the fruit, one of her descendants certainly would have and we would still be sitting here on the hood of this car having this same discussion.”  
   
“It was not my intention to upset you.”  
   
Addy wonders what he means but realizes that she is crying quite steadily. She hastily wipes at her face and jumps down on the hood of the car. “Give me the keys.”  
   
“What?”  
   
“The keys, give them to me.”  
   
He looks resigned as he hands her the plain metal ring with just two keys on it. Addy throws her coffee cup out in the dumpster beside the building before getting into the driver’s seat. She adjusts the seat and looks up to see Gadreel is still standing outside the car, still under the belief that she is leaving him behind. She rolls the window down and shouts to him.  
   
“Are you getting in or what?”  
   
He lurches forward and gets in the passenger side. “I do not understand.”  
   
“We need a day to regroup, reassess things. We need a day to relax.” Addy puts the car into gear and pulls out of the gas station. “We’re going to spend the day in Yellowstone. We’re not going to be a scared angel anchor whose life just got tipped on its head or the angel who broke the world. Not today.”  
   
“Then what are we going to be?”  
   
Addy rolled his window down as well and turned on the radio, cranking up the volume. “We’re taking one day to be happy and enjoy ourselves. I think we deserve that. Besides, if Sam and Dean are tracking us, they’re going to expect us to run as far away as possible. Putting on the brakes and blending in with some tourists might shake them.”  
   
“You are not angry with me?”  
   
It breaks her heart to hear the disbelief in his voice. That he’s surprised she didn’t leave him behind in a fit of disgust and rage. She swallows her tears and watches for the signs for the park. “Of course I’m not angry with you.”  
   
He’s quiet for a few moments before he reaches for the map in the back seat. “This Olema you spoke of. I would like to see it.”  
   
Addy smiles for the first time in what feels like forever. “I would like to show it to you.”


	6. Alliance

Addison offers to drive when they leave the National Park to find dinner and a place to sleep so Gadreel agrees. It gives him time to actually look at his surroundings before the sun disappears and appreciate seeing the world once more. The park hadn’t been very crowded due to it being “off season” according to Addison but he wasn’t quite sure what that meant. And honestly, he didn’t care. He had spent a day not having to maintain a false persona or keep meticulous track of details so his subterfuge wouldn’t be discovered. His original crime is known and forgiven by his companion. He can breathe.  
   
It has truly been his first day of freedom.  
   
As lost and despondent as Addison had been, he had been surprised to see her change as the day moved forward. Grief still clung to her and would bow her shoulders and dull her eyes at times but for the majority of the day, she saw nothing but beauty before her. Her descriptions of wildflowers covering the meadows particularly fascinated him to the point of wondering if they would be able to return at the proper time to see them in person.  
   
“May I ask you something,” Addison breaks the silence. “If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine.”  
   
He braces himself for the accusations now. She’s had a day to think over what he has done and the end result is not going to favorable. But he had this day and he intends to treasure the memory of it. “Go ahead.”  
   
“Everything that you saw today, was there anything like that in Eden?”  
   
There is only curiosity in her voice and he releases the breath he had been holding. He hasn’t allowed himself to dwell on Eden without the shame and guilt tainting it. But Addison has given him a reason to remember it in its perfection. “It was much more untamed than this. Trees, ferns, flowers of every imaginable color were everywhere. And the animals were just as numerous as the plants. The Garden was a different climate than this. It was more,” he searches through his vessels knowledge and pulls the word from there, “tropical. ”  
   
“Tropical? Really? Most Biblical scholars think that the Garden was located between two rivers in the Middle East. Not exactly a tropical climate there.”  
   
“I am afraid to inform you that the Garden was not on Earth proper.”  
   
“Where was it then?”  
   
“In another dimension, I believe that is the term you would use.”  
   
“Trippy.”  
   
“I do not know what ‘trippy’ means but the Garden itself was beautiful. I have yet to see anything that resembles the perfection of that time. The park that we were in was enjoyable to see though. There are remnants that can be seen in your world as it is today.”  
   
“I guess when you’re used to perfection, everything else pales in comparison.”  
   
“I would not say that. Yellowstone holds a different beauty, but it is all to be enjoyed.”  
   
Addison seems to perk up at his statement. “So you enjoyed yourself today?”  
   
“Yes, I did.” Humans are chaotic messes, and Addison is no different, but Gadreel still hasn’t lost his affection for them. Thaddeus tried to beat it out of him, to drive the fascination and compassion he felt towards these creatures from his being, but Thaddeus had failed. The realization that he is still able to hold onto those feelings brings more satisfaction to him than running the blade through Thaddeus’ heart. Perhaps that’s what Abner had meant when he showed distaste for Gadreel’s act of revenge.  
   
“Well that’s certainly not a happy face.”  
   
“My apologies. I was thinking of a friend.”  
   
“A friend? Why didn’t you say something before? Where are they? Can they help us?”  
   
“I am afraid he cannot help us.  I doubt he would be willing even if he was able.”  
   
“If he’s your friend, I’m sure he’ll be willing to help.”  
   
“He is dead, Addison. I was told he was a threat to Heaven and ordered to…” he can’t bring himself to finish the statement. Perhaps now Addison would see the need for her to find another angel to guide and protect her. He just wasn’t fit for a job as important as guarding the anchor.  
   
“You killed your friend because someone ordered you to?”  
   
“Yes.”  
   
“Was it the same asshole who told you to kill the Prophet?”  
   
“And you. Yes.” He feels the change in Addison’s demeanor as if it were a thunderstorm rolling across the plains. Her good natured mood has clouded over and anger grows in its place.  
   
“Rule number one down here: if someone tells you to kill people, they’re not the kind of the person you want to be around. Anyone who wants you to harm someone or something else isn’t worth your time. Do you understand me?”  
   
“Yes.”  
   
“Good.”  
   
Addison’s anger burns out quickly but still simmers on the surface. He can see the traces of it in her grip on the steering wheel and the line of her jaw. For some reason though, she doesn’t seem angry at him. Because of that, he’s brave enough to ask a question. “What do you think of hunters, such as Sam and Dean and your mother?”  
   
“That’s different. What they do is either self defense or they’re defending other people who are being attacked. They fight for the people who can’t fight for themselves. If you want to defend Heaven, you fight against the person who kicked you out and closed the place down in the first place.”  
   
He’s about to ask her how they would go about fighting Metatron when a set of headlights crest over the hill in front of them. The car is driving erratically, weaving across the entire road with no consistent trajectory. Addison slams on the brakes and pulls their car over to the side of road.  
   
“Get out and away from the road as much as possible!” she shouts to him as she jumps out of the driver’s seat.  
   
He follows her as she slides down the small gully alongside the road and jumps a fence into a field. They stand in the field until the car passes and by some miracle, misses their car completely. He turns to make sure that Addison is unhurt only to find her bent over and retching in a bush. Confusion gives way to understanding when he remembers it was a car accident that put her in a three-year coma. Of course she would find this deeply upsetting.  
   
Comfort, she needs comfort. He had been able to find it within himself to care for Abner, he could do the same for Addison. He waits for her to straighten up before letting his fingertips brush against her elbow. She doesn’t pull away as she wipes her mouth with the sleeve of her coat. 

“Sorry.” 

He curls his fingers around her arm to steady her as they start to walk back up to the still running car. “I will drive the rest of the way.” 

“Alright,” comes the shaky answer as she leans into him periodically during their climb out of the gully. 

When they reach the car, the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he senses something that he had hoped not to encounter for a few days at least. 

Angels. 

“Get in the car and go.” 

Addison is still pale but shakes her head. “What? No. What’s going on?” 

He pulls out his angel blade and tries to push her around the car, back to the drivers side. “You need to leave quickly.” 

“Not until you tell me what’s going on!” 

“Allow me to fill in those details,” a strange voice says from the darkness. 

Gadreel tries to keep Addison behind him but a circle of angels have surrounded them on all sides. The one who spoke steps into the light from the headlamps of the car. He makes a motion with his hand and the car’s engine stutters and shuts off. The angel’s face is scarred and haggard, as are most of his followers. Addison has pressed herself close to his back and he can feel her tremor with fear. 

“There’s no need for weapons,” the strange angel says. “We’re only here to talk and offer some...assistance.” 

“What kind of assistance?” Gadreel asks. 

“Protection for one. There’s a lot of angels out there looking for that little girl cowering behind you.” 

“Who are you?” 

He laughs easily. “Where are my manners? I’m Malachi. And you are Gadreel, aren’t you? The original anarchist.” 

He doesn’t know how to respond that so he stays quiet. 

“Are you going to come with us willingly or are you going to make this interesting?” 

There are too many of them, almost twenty by his count. He’s still too weakened to properly do battle against so many. It was also possible for Addison to become injured in the cross fire if he did choose to fight. So he made the best decision for her he could and dropped his blade. 

Malachi smiled. “Willingly it is.” 

***

Sam finds the police report online of an abandoned black sedan on the side of Route 26 outside of Yellowstone National Park. It’s been two days since Addison high tailed it out of Denver so it wasn’t far fetched that this was the car. The next morning finds him and Dean flashing FBI badges at the precinct in Idaho Falls, the closest town from where the car was found. Thankfully, the officer on the case was more than happy to hand over the file and the car to them. 

“Found some weird stuff in that car,” he tells them over a cup of coffee at the local diner. 

“Like what?” Dean asks. 

He slides the file over to Sam, who opens it to find photos of the car and the contents of the trunk. 

“There were three bags in the trunk,” the officer continues. “Two held clothes, normal stuff. But the third, the canvas one, had all kinds of weapons in it. Machetes, knives, guns, journals with pentagrams and talk of ghosts. As if finding an abandoned car on the side of the road with no sign of anyone around it isn’t freaky enough.” 

“Well, it’s our freaky problem now,” Dean says. 

The officer shakes their hands and heads out to his patrol car as Jael comes into the diner and takes the recently vacated seat. “Well? Is it them?” 

Before Sam can answer her, Dean closes the file. “Our case, sweetheart, not yours.” 

Jael’s eyes narrow. “If you really want to get into a pissing match with a Rit Zein, by all means, Dean Winchester, let’s do that.” 

“I’ve taken on a lot of dicks with wings, a Rit Zein too, so yeah. I’m more than up for a pissing match with you.” 

“Addison Weaver is the anchor, the anchor I created. She is my responsibility. You want to hunt down Gadreel, that’s fine. You have my word I will not get in the way. But as long as Addison is with Gadreel, I’m coming with you.” 

Sam has had enough the bickering back and forth between them. Jael is determined to find Addison and quite frankly, Sam is thankful for having another angel on their side. “Fine. You’re coming along until we find Addison.” 

“Sam-” 

“Dean, look. You still need to find Abaddon and finish her off. Swing back to Denver, pick up Cas and go finish that. Jael and I will look at the car and see if we can’t figure out what happened to Addison and Gadreel.” 

“And you’re okay with that plan?” 

“Yeah, I am.” 

Dean gives Jael a glance and shakes his head. “Well, I’m not okay with that plan.” 

“We’re running out choices here. Addison needs to be found. Gadreel needs to be dealt with. Abaddon needs to be killed. We can’t do it all.” 

“Actually, it works out quite nicely,” Jael interjects. “You have Castiel and Sam has me. An angel for each of the Winchesters.” 

Dean scowls. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.” 

Jael straightens her glasses. “I heard you were the one that dealt with Ephraim so you know exactly what a Rit Zein is capable of doing to a human. If I had any intention of harming you or your brother, I would have turned you both into a red mist and gone after Addison myself. You don’t trust me, get over it. We’re fighting the same fight here and I would appreciate a little respect.” 

Whatever response Dean had was cut off when his phone rang. Sam figures it’s Crowley and not Cas when Dean gets up from the booth and steps outside. 

“You really don’t have a problem with working with me?” 

Sam looks over at Jael and shakes his head. “No, I don’t. You’re right. If you wanted us out of the way, you would have done that by now. Which makes me wonder why haven’t you gone after Addison by yourself?” 

“I’m not very good at this human thing. It was easy to track her when she was unconscious and then to follow her around her hometown for two and half weeks. But now that she’s god knows where, I just don’t know what to do. You, your brother and Castiel are my best chance at understanding how this world works and how I can use it to find Addison.” 

“So you’ve never taken a vessel before?” 

“Never.” 

“I have to say, you’ve doing pretty good for your first time on earth.” 

Jael smiles, a genuine smile but Dean returns to the table before she can say anything. 

“Well, that was Crowley. He found Abaddon. And then Cas called. He said there’s some chatter on angel radio that Malachi is the one who snatched Addison and Gadreel.” 

Sam straightens up in his chair. “So, what do we do?” 

“You really okay with going off with her?” 

“Yeah, I am.” 

Dean shrugs. “Fine then. I’ll grab Cas and meet up with Crowley and you go with Miss Angel Medic and take care of Gadreel.”


	7. Bonded

   
Addy twists her hands together to keep them from fidgeting. She understands why Gadreel didn’t want to fight that many angels but she wonders what their chances would have been if he had fought. The place that Malachi takes them to is another burnt out husk of a building in a practical ghost town. There is no help nearby for them even if she was able to get away. But what unsettles her the most is that they’ve taken Gadreel somewhere in the massive building and left her alone with Malachi.  
   
“It’s not much but we angels have other things on our minds than luxury.”  
   
Addy keeps her mouth shut as she looks around the almost empty room where he brings her. There is a desk, a broken down couch and a couple of metal chairs. It’s a meeting room, nothing more. She figures she better say something. If he talks, she might have a chance at figuring out how to get out of this situation.“So what things are on angel’s minds these days?”  
   
He opens a small refrigerator and pulls out a beer, holding one up for her but she shakes her head. “Depends on how much you know, anchor.”  
   
She wanders the perimeter of the room looking for a window or second door. She looks for things that she can use as a weapon even though she has no idea what can hurt an angel. “I know that all the angels were cast out of Heaven. That’s about it.”  
   
“There’s a war going on down on the ground. Some want to go back, some want to stay. Those that want to go back though have different ideas of how to go about that.”  
   
“Yeah, what’s your idea?”  
   
“I’m looking at her.”  
   
Addy pauses in her walk. She did not like the sound of this. “I hate to tell you but I’m fairly useless.”  
   
“On the contrary, you’re far from useless. You’re the key to get us back up in the sky I’m betting.”  
   
So he didn’t know exactly how she fit in with opening up Heaven. “I’m a foothold for dead angels to cling to until Heaven opens up. Like I said, useless.”  
   
“How many angels are tethered to you?”  
   
She shrugs. “Not a clue.”  
   
He laughs. “Useless and clueless, huh? Anything I can offer you to get you to talk?”  
   
It’s an opening and she takes it. “I want my angel back.”  
   
“We can get you a better one than that angelic waste of space. Trust me, you’re better off without him.”  
   
“He’s the angel I want. You want me to be cooperative, you give him back to me.”  
   
Malachi’s good humor fades and he sets the half-finished beer bottle down on the desk. “You’re under the wrong assumption here, little girl.”  
   
Addy tries to maneuver away from him as he advances towards her but he’s moving too quickly. Before she can even think of an escape plan, he has her pinned against the wall by her throat.  
   
“I’m willing to work with you, anchor, but you’ve got to work with me.”  
   
She tries scratching at his hands that are holding her neck but it doesn’t seem to even phase him. She looks over his shoulder and sees another angel in the room, an angel that hadn’t been there before. She gasps when she recognizes him: Gabriel. Malachi turns around but apparently doesn’t see him when he turns back to her. She must be closer to passing out than she thought.  
   
“You show me some fancy tricks,” Malachi says, “and I’ll let you visit your angel.”  
   
Gabriel leans against the wall she’s pinned against. He’s fuzzy looking, not as real as when she was dreaming. “Oh, we’re going to show him a trick. Anchor lesson number one: being a conduit for angelic power. Tell him to let go.”  
   
Addy swallows forcibly. “Let…me…g-go.”  
   
“Or what?”  
   
“Put one of your hands on his forehead,” Gabriel instructs and he places one of his hands on her shoulder.  
   
She lets go of Malachi’s hand and places it on his forehead just as Gabriel told her. Immediately, she feels a rush, almost like ice, flowing through her veins. It gives her the sensation of being of doused in a mountain stream, cold and tingling at her nerve endings. Fascination and horror wash over her as a bright light shines out of Malachi’s eyes and mouth. Just as suddenly as it happened, it’s over. Malachi is prone on the floor, his eyes sightless, smoking black holes.  
   
“What…what happened?”  
   
She turns to where Gabriel was standing but he’s no longer there. She’s not unconscious so of course she wouldn’t see him. Except now, she isn’t sure what to do. She just killed the leader of this rough-looking angel gang. She doesn’t know the layout of the building. And somewhere, they have Gadreel.  
   
The sound of footsteps outside of the door push her to action though. She sees the handle of Malachi’s angel blade under his coat and she snatches it up just as the door is kicked open. She has no idea how to wield the thing but she stands at the ready nevertheless until she sees who it is. She has to stop herself from crying in relief.  
   
“Sam!”  
   
Sam takes in the scene with a confused look on his face but comes to her side quickly. “You alright?”  
   
“I don’t know.” She’s shaking so badly her teeth are chattering.   
   
He takes off his jacket and puts it around her shoulders. “Alright. Let’s get you out of here then.”  
   
She starts to hand him the angel blade but he closes her hand around it. “No, you keep it. I have my own, see?”  
   
He holds up his blade and Addy numbly nods her head.    
   
Jael is waiting in the hallway, a blade in her hand too. “We don’t have much time. Malachi’s followers will be on us soon.”  
   
“Gadreel,” Addy’s stunned mind starts to kick over once more. “We can’t leave him here.”

Jael’s mouth twists in half a frown. “Don’t suppose you know where he is?”  
   
“No but I would assume it’s not pleasant. Malachi didn’t speak very highly of him.” Addy doesn’t like the silence that follows her statement. “You don’t want to rescue him. You want to leave him here. They’ll kill him if we leave him behind!”  
   
Jael looks over at Sam briefly. “He hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the Winchesters. You can’t ask Sam to risk his life for someone who has done personal damage to him and his brother.”  
   
“Fine, then I’m asking you. Please, help him.”  
   
***  
   
Jael knows that Sam Winchester would like nothing better than to throw Addison over his shoulder and walk out of the building, calling it a day. But she also knows that Sam isn’t the kind of person to knowingly abandon someone, even Gadreel, to a fate of torture. But her main concern is the anchor’s safety and she will promise to stop the world from spinning if it means getting Addison out of danger.  
   
“Alright,” she agrees. “But you need to leave with Sam now and let him get you to safety.”  
   
“And you’re going to take on how many angels by yourself?” Sam asks.  
   
“I may have been wounded in the fall but I still have enough power to take out these thugs. Get her out of here.”  
   
Addison reluctantly leaves with Sam and Jael breathes a sigh of relief. Rit Zein’s are naturally drawn to pain and suffering so finding the room where Gadreel is being kept isn’t a difficult task for her. She’s able to sedate the few wandering angels that cross paths with her. They’ll wake in a few hours with no repercussions. Depending on how many angels are in the room with Gadreel, she may be able to get away with sedating them if there’s only a handful. If there’s more than five, she’ll have to fight. 

The door is unlocked and she opens it with caution. There is only one angel there, bloody blade in hand. Jael sedates him with a wave of her hand and steps over his prone form to reach Gadreel. They have him chained upright to pipes but the chains are the only things holding him in the standing position. He’s a bloody mess with one eye swelled shut and he’s barely conscious. But when she reaches for him, he jerks away from her with more force than he looked capable of possessing. 

“Addi...Addison?” 

“No, it’s Jael.” 

He shakes his head and spits blood out of his mouth. “Find Addison. Malachi-” 

“Addison is fine, she’s with Sam.” 

He sags against the chains. “Good. Leave me.” 

Jael’s certain she’s heard him wrong. “What?” 

“Leave me here. You take Addison. Better off...with family.” 

Jael almost does as he wishes. He’s right. No matter where they go, angels were going to come down on their heads. Gadreel was a marked man and weight around Addison’s neck, one she didn’t need. But Jael recalls in the look in Addison’s eyes when she made Jael promise to save Gadreel. If she returned without him, Addison would be in an even more fragile state than she already was. The poor girl had lost enough. 

She reaches out again and he closes his eyes, expecting her to end him most likely. And she has to admit, it would probably be the most humane thing to do. But she doesn’t. She knits the wounds back together, closes the slashes to his skin and restores the left side of his face. He’s still bloodied and his clothes are a mess that could be sorted at a later time. She fights with the chains and with his help manage to get him freed. He picks up a discarded angel blade before following her out of the building. 

When they reach outside, she walks back to where Sam had parked the car she is using, an SUV from Addison’s garage back in Denver. Sam is standing outside, at the ready but he relaxes when he sees it’s her. Jael notices that Sam’s grip on the angel blade tightens when he sees Gadreel but other than that, he remains emotionless. 

She had told him that if Addison was as attached to the former guard, he would need to temporarily put aside his differences to get Addison to safety. And by the way Addison was trying to get a good view of Gadreel, Jael realizes this is going to be a much more difficult situation then she anticipated.  
   
“Get in the backseat and don’t say anything,” she cautions Gadreel who does exactly that.  
   
Sam walks in front of the car, his face thunderous. “I thought you said you weren’t going to get in the way. That you only wanted Addison and you would let me handle Gadreel.”  
   
“First of all, put the blade away.”  
   
He grits his teeth but complies. “Fine.”  
   
“Secondly, I’m afraid the only way to keep Addison safe and relatively happy is if she continues moving on with Gadreel. They’ve bonded.”  
   
“Bonded?”  
   
Jael is surprised at Sam’s lack of knowledge of angel bonding consider that is what happened to Castiel and Dean. Perhaps Castiel never went into specifics. “There are certain angels who are assigned to certain humans. It’s arraigned that way because bonds need to form between the angel and the human. It isn’t something that we can fully explain but it happens. When the bond is formed, it’s virtually unbreakable until either the angel or the human dies.”  
   
“And he’s bonded to Addison?”  
   
“It appears that way.”  
   
“How do you know?”  
   
Jael pushes her glasses up her nose. “He was almost dead when I found him and the first thing he asked me concerned Addison and her safety. Then he told me to leave him there and send Addison back with you and Dean. Angels don’t normally put humans before their own interest. Even angels who care about humanity in general, you put them in chains and torture them to the brink of death, they will save themselves every damn time.”  
   
Sam still looks unconvinced.  
   
“Look, I know you were tricked into the possession. I know he made poor choices while being in you and you have every right to run him through with a blade for what he took from you. But I’m telling you if you do that, you’ll be hurting Addison in the long run. I can’t find another angel that will selflessly protect her like he will.”  
   
Sam’s shoulders drop. “You’re certain he will protect her?”  
   
“To his dying breath.” Jael sighs. “Killing him isn’t going to bring the Prophet back or change the fact that you didn’t know what exactly you were consenting to when you said yes. All those things are already set in stone. If you do kill him, Addison will be exposed, hurt and even more distrustful of you. And between you and Dean, you’ve got the best shot at earning her trust.”  
   
“We’re going to travel with them?”  
   
“No, not exactly. We’ll trail them.” Jael smiles. “I’ve heard a lot of talk about the famous Winchesters and their hunts. It would be nice to see one up close and personal. I’m sure you’ll find some things to keep you busy. As long as we’re within a day’s drive of them, that should be safe enough.”  
   
Finally, Sam nods his head albeit reluctantly. “Fine. That’s what we’ll do.”  
   
Jael climbs into the front passenger seat of the car and hides a smile and just how quiet Gadreel and Addison are in the backseat until she looks in the back and sees Addison is sound asleep against Gadreel’s shoulder. Sam gets behind the wheel and starts back down the road to Idaho Falls where they parked the impounded car in front of the hotel room they had for the night. Sam is still not comfortable with the plan but he keeps his silence and tries to temper his displeasure at the situation. 

Jael has to hand it to him, he’s a much better man than he gives himself credit for being.


	8. Prayers

Chapter Eight: Prayers

 

Addy isn’t surprised when they reach the hotel that things are handled quickly and efficiently. Her belongings are already in the back of the SUV and Sam carries them into the hotel room for her. She follows him in while Jael and Gadreel transfer Sam’s belongings to the black sedan. As soon as she’s through the door, Sam shuts and locks it.

 

“Here,” he hands her a cell phone. “You call me if you need anything. I mean that, anything.”

 

He’s sincere and worried so she takes the phone and puts in her pocket. “Okay.”

 

“If you’re ever in a situation where you can’t give me details but you need help, just say ‘Poughkeepsie.’ There’s a GPS tracker on the phone that I can activate from mine and I’ll find you.”

 

“Gadreel isn’t going to hurt me.”

 

He clenches his jaw but releases it quickly. “I get that. I know.”

 

“Am I really in that much danger from other angels?”

 

“Possibly. I don’t really know. There’s many factions and they all want different things.” He pauses and his protectiveness gives way to curiosity. “Do you know how you killed Malachi?”

 

Addy sits down on the bed. “I don’t really know. Whenever I pass out, I see an angel. He tells me some things about what I am and what I can do. Malachi was choking me and the angel showed up. He said he was able to use me as an angelic conduit and had me put my hand on Malachi’s head. I remember him lighting up from inside with a white light and then he just dropped to the floor.” She shivers at the feeling of the cold that had crept into her bones when that had occurred. “I don’t know exactly what it was that happened.”

 

Sam sat down on the second bed across from her. “Did this angel tell you his name?”

 

“Gabriel. He said he was Gabriel. He’s about my height, light brown hair, smart ass.”

 

Sam laughs. “Yeah, that sounds about right. You should be able to trust him.”

 

“So you think it’s him?”

 

Sam nods. “Only an archangel would be able to take out Malachi that way. And since there’s just two archangels who are dead and I think it narrows it down as to which one will help. Gabriel can be shifty so listen to his wording very carefully.”

 

“Will do.”

 

Addy gets up and opens her mother’s hunting bag, pulling out the journal. She’s not sure if she should even bring this up but she’s curious. Sam may not take well to finding out he has a half sibling but she won’t know unless she tells him. So when she sits down again, she tells him of her Aunt Jenn, the mysterious bag that was left to her and how Gadreel explained to her what a hunter was and the use for some of the weapons she had. Lastly, she pulls out the birth certificate and hands it to him.

 

Sam takes it, unfolds and reads it with a satisfied nod. “We, uh, we actually found out about this before we left Denver. The guy who runs the smoke shop on East Avenue had hunter signs in the window and he knew the story. We didn’t have proof, just rumor.”

 

She takes the birth certificate back and puts it back in her journal. “Is that why you came to help me? Because I’m related to you?”

 

“No, I would have come regardless whether you were related to us or not. We were afraid that Gadreel was going to kill you like he was told to do. But the car being abandoned with everything still in it threw us for a curve.”

 

“Yeah, well, not dead. Just tired and confused.”

 

Sam smiles. “And channeling archangels and smiting angels.”

 

Addy returns the smile. “You’re taking having a half-sister very well.”

 

His good nature fades. “Well, we have another half-sibling out there, a brother. Adam Milligan. We didn’t exactly look after him like we should have.”

 

“What happened?”

 

He looks like he’s about to tell her but stops. “It’s a long story. One that I can tell you later over the phone or skype.”

 

“Skype?”

 

“We brought your laptop with us. It’s in your bag.”

 

“Thank you.” The sudden urge to sleep overtakes Addy and she forces back a yawn. She had thought she lost family only to find she had unknown relatives. She wanted to get to know them, to have a brother again brought more comfort than anything else that had happened in the last two and half weeks. But Sam’s leaving and she’s forced to sort things out herself.

 

Sam laughs and stands up. “Alright, bedtime. You get some sleep but I want a phone call or a text everyday from you for I’ll come looking for you.”

 

“I can do that.”

 

“And the help word?”

 

“Poughkeepsie.”

 

“Good.”

 

She stands up and walks with him to the door. “Thank you, for everything.”

 

He gives her a brief smile before unlocking the door and heading out. Addy waves at Jael and Sam as they take the black sedan and drive off into the night. Gadreel emerges from the shadows when the taillights disappear down the road.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She turns to look at him and sees his face and clothes are still bloody. “You look terrible.”

 

He steps in the room and Addy locks the door. “I will ward the room and then change.”

 

Even though Addy wants nothing more than to collapse on the bed and sleep for the next three days, she can’t stop staring at the blood that covers the majority of Gadreel’s face. He willingly laid down his weapon and walked into a torture chamber in hopes that it would ensure her safety. She goes into the bathroom and fills the sink with warm water and some soap. It’s not much but it’s the least she can do for him.

 

“You should sleep,” he says coming into the bathroom. “I can do this myself.”

 

Addy stubbornly shakes her head. “Sit.”

 

He does as he’s told and Addy begins the task of washing way the layers of blood.

 

***

 

Gadreel knows what is to feel so completely helpless in a situation that the first chance you have to focus on someone else, you take it. He had spent seven hundred years caring for Abner so he could escape his own personal hell. Even though he could have done the task in a matter of minutes, he subjects himself to Addison’s cleaning process. The scent of the soap stings his nose and the cheap washcloth is too rough but he finds comfort in watching her shoulders lose tension and her hands steady as the task progresses. She empties the sink and tries to clean the blood off the washcloth but gives up after a few minutes.

 

“I am so sorry.”

 

He’s confused about what exactly she has to apologize for. “I don’t understand.”

 

“If it wasn’t for me-“

 

“They still would have found me and they would have killed me.”

 

She’s pale, dark rings under her eyes that are starting to fill with tears. “Why do they hate you so much?”

 

It is a question he had asked himself since the Garden. “Angels are creatures of extremes. Some are ruled by compassion, such as Jael. Others are driven by a sense of justice and duty like Castiel. Forgiveness and mercy are difficult behaviors for angels to grasp. It was our Father’s place to extend those traits.”

 

“And what drives you?”

 

He smiles slightly. “The need to protect precious and important humans.”

 

Addison wipes away the tears that have started to fall but others quickly gather behind them. “I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to put you in danger. I don’t want to be important. I don’t want…”

 

He doesn’t know what to do with such a distressed human. It was easier to know how to comfort and heal a fellow brother, to be able to accomplish his goal in piecing Abner back together. Addison is different. The pieces are similar but the putting them back together is foreign to him. He doesn’t know how fix her.

 

But his vessel, a compassionate man, does have experience with dealing with distraught people. Gadreel pulls on the memories of those instances and ends up hugging her. It must have been the correct choice because Addison grabs a hold of him with a fierceness as she continues to cry. They stay like that until her tears subside only because she has fallen asleep standing up and braced against him. He picks her up and carries her to the bed. He covers her with a blanket before taking up his protective, watchful position from the other bed.

 

This he knows how to do: sit calmly but be aware of everything. He can hear what is going on in the other occupied hotel rooms, the animals that are rooting through the trash in the dumpsters out back and the intermittent car that drives past on the highway. He pays attention to more than noises though and monitors any disturbances that would signal angels or demons or any other creature that might bring harm to Addison.

 

Everything is quiet though. Everything is calm. And Addison sleeps for almost a full twenty four hours. It’s not until the following morning that she begins to stir. He keeps his post as she completely wakes up and stumbles into the bathroom. Only when he hears the shower turn on does he get up and find a shirt in the backpack she gave to him. 

 

She steps out of the bathroom a half hour later, showered, dressed and her long, dark blonde hair braided. She packs up her things but there is tension back in her movements and in the lines around her mouth. It takes her a few times to finally speak whatever it is on her mind. 

 

“Can you hear when people pray?” 

 

“Of course. Angels are why prayers are answered.” 

 

She frowns slightly. “What does it sound like?” 

 

“Depends on the prayer. Sometimes it sounds like they are shouting in your ear. Sometimes it is more a whisper. What is it that you are hearing?” 

 

“It’s just like a repetitive string of words that I can’t shut off. ‘Please, let me do this. Please let me go.’”

 

There was so much they didn’t know about her being the anchor, so many things she had the potential to do. Hearing prayers is a basic angel trait so if she were to have any, this would be the most logical one for her to have. “Do you know where it is coming from?” 

 

“How do I figure that out?” 

 

It comes so natural to him he has to stop and think of how to explain the instinct. “Close your eyes and concentrate on the words. Tell me the images that you see in your mind.” 

 

She closes her eyes and her forehead furrows. “It’s the top of a building in a city. It’s not a big city. Fairly flat land, really large hills in the distance.” 

 

“Focus on the building.” 

 

“It’s...a medical type building. A hospital. St. Luke’s.” 

 

“Good. Now, think about the city.” 

 

She grits her teeth. “B...Boise. Boise, Idaho. That’s not too far from here, is it?” 

 

He follows her details to confirm their accuracy even though the prayer seems to be directed at her specifically. Besides, his listening in to “angel radio” as Dean had called it, could alert other angels in the area to his location. It could be a trap. It could be another angel setting them up to kill them both. But Addison is looking focused and determined. She needs a distraction now, something else to focus on other than the situation she finds herself. She had repeated that she didn’t want certain things last night but answering a prayer, this he can tell she does want. He picks up their bags and heads for the door. 

 

“We will go to St. Luke’s in Boise.” If it is a trap, then he will have to fight his way out of it. Jael coming to his aid was a fortunate occurrence that he was certain would not happen again. He will make sure that Addison is armed with as many things as he can give her before they step into the hospital.

 

***

 

He stands on the edge of the hospital rooftop, the wind whipping at the thin hospital gown. He’s been standing there for hours and he wonders why no one has come to get him or even cared that he’s gone missing. He wonders why he even cares. He fought every step of the way but he’s so drained, so exhausted from the fight, that he can’t take that next step that will end it all for him.

 

And dear, sweet God (if there is one) does he want it to end.

 

It felt as if eons had passed in that cage. The violence, the torture, the boredom. It was enough to drive a man insane and according to his medical chart, it had. He had been found along the side of a road almost a month ago, caked in dirt and screaming. He won’t let anyone touch him, he can’t. His skin feels blistered and shredded from hellfire. His soul partial twists inside of him and he feels like if he can tear himself in two he will find relief. But he’s not strong enough to do that. So a plunging fall off the hospital roof will have to do. Except he can’t get his feet to take that last step. He’s teetering on the edge and just won’t tip over and enjoy the free fall to peace.

 

So Adam Milligan does the only thing he can do at this point and he prays to the angel inside of him and any others who will listen.

 

“Please, let me do this. Please let me go.”


	9. Bent

 Addy has a long talk with herself during her shower that morning. She didn’t want this life on the run, danger lurking around every corner. She didn’t want her guardian to be Heaven’s most hated angel, especially when he had shown her nothing but kindness and self sacrifice. And as much as she liked the idea of having half-siblings and not being as alone as she thought, she did not like that they were separated for the time being.  
   
It is fine to not like the circumstances and details but that doesn’t change the situation in which she finds herself. She dresses that morning as if she is putting on armor. There is a war raging and she’s part of it whether she wants to be or not. The time for crying and feeling sorry for herself is over. If an attack is going to happen, she will be ready for it.  
   
She listens closely as Gadreel tells her tricks of hiding weapons in the folds of her clothes and the sleeves of her jacket. The angel blade she took from Malachi is to be kept with her at all times. She straps a knife to the inside of one of her boots and a small handgun in the other. By the time they reach St. Luke’s Hospital she’s half afraid to walk into the building, fearful that people can tell she’s armed to teeth. But she mimics Gadreel’s movements, smooth and precise and tries to forget the laws she’s breaking.  
   
They get into an empty elevator and Addy hits the button for the highest level they can go. “I’m going to guess that whoever is sending out the prayer is still on the roof.”  
   
“Are they still praying?”  
   
“Yes.”  
   
The door opens with the emergency stairs right next to the elevator. Making sure no one is looking, Addy pushes it open and Gadreel silences the alarm with a wave of his hand. It is two flights to the roof and the door is already propped open. Gadreel stops her for a moment, most likely looking for anything that would alert him of an attack. She lets him step out onto the roof first before cautiously following close behind.  
   
There’s a man, tall and thin, standing at the edge of the building. Addy has to blink a few times because there are moments where it seems he glitches or goes fuzzy. She’s not sure what that means and looks to Gadreel. She’s surprised at the change in him. He is standing straight, tall and gives the impression of being immovable. His face is set and expressionless while his angel blade is gripped tightly in his hand.  
   
“He’s an angel?” Addy whispers as she draws her own blade.  
   
Gadreel nods, never taking his eyes off the man. “I can not tell who it is though. He is hiding very deep inside.”  
   
The man turns around. His eyes are sunken with dark rings underneath of them, making his narrow face seem that much more skeletal looking. Addy can see he has given up and wants out of whatever lies before him. She knows that look all too well. But then his eyes flash blue and the desperation is replaced by contempt. The broken posture straightens and he steps away from the edge of the building but doesn’t advance too closely to them.  
   
“Gadreel.”  
   
The name is spoken so quietly that the wind almost carries it away before Addy can hear it. But that one word, how it is said, shifts everything between them. Gadreel seems to collapse in on himself, his shoulders fall and the grip on his blade slackens. His eyes are no longer on the other angel but rather lowered to the ground. The change makes Addy nervous and uneasy. She holds tight to her blade as she steps next to Gadreel.  
   
“And you are?”  
   
“Michael.”  
   
Addy picked the wrong day to start being a hero. “The Archangel? The Warrior?”  
   
Michael nods. “And the one who cast Lucifer into the cage and,” he turns to Gadreel, “put his little helper in Heaven’s dungeon.”  
   
Addy waits for Gadreel to defend himself and when he doesn’t, she does. “That wasn’t his fault.”  
   
“Oh, I know the story he tells. I listened to it for hundreds of years. It doesn’t matter. He had a job to do and he failed in it.”  
   
“He made a mistake!”  
   
“Addison!” Gadreel hisses and pulls her back to where he stands. She wasn’t aware she was advancing, blade raised at the archangel of Heaven.  
   
“Very defensive of an angel you know very little about.”  
   
“I know enough.”  
   
Michael laughs. “You humans never cease to amaze me with your indignation and sense of higher morality. You better watch yourself, I might mistake you for a Winchester.”  
   
Addy tries to hide her surprise at the use of that name but Michael catches it.  
   
“So, there’s yet another little Winchester waif out there. Well, that certainly changes things a bit.”

Addy is beyond confused and Gadreel is too cowed in Michael’s presence to be of any help. “We only came because the person you’re in prayed for help. Does he need help or not?” 

Michael takes a few steps towards them and Addy directly puts herself between him and Gadreel. She still holds the angel blade but makes sure not to raise her hand to him. She wants to be able to defend herself and Gadreel, not commit suicide-by-archangel. They’re only standing a few inches from each other, staring each other down and finally Michael smirks. 

“Maybe we can all help each other.” 

“How’s that?” 

“You’re going to need protection.” 

“I already have it.” 

“You’re going to need more.” 

“How’s that?” 

Michael’s smirk disappears. “I just spent four human years locked in a cage with Lucifer. Now, I’m out. My vessel, Adam Milligan, is twisted in on himself and needs time to heal from the experience. I can straighten out his soul but it will take time. The real threat, however, lies in the fact that Lucifer is also out and walking the Earth now. The Apocalypse is back on schedule.”

Gadreel finally finds his tongue. “Heaven is closed, to both angels and human souls. If the Apocalypse happens, all those who die will have no place to go.” 

“Then we better work on getting Heaven open before Lucifer comes looking for her.” 

Addy feels herself go lightheaded. “Excuse me? Why would Lucifer come looking for me?” 

Michael presses his lips together in annoyance. “Dean was my true vessel and Sam was Lucifer’s. I was going to kill Lucifer and re-establish the order of things. Perhaps it would be enough to bring our Father back. But Dean won’t say yes and when Sam did, he was able to control Lucifer. But then I found Adam, Sam and Dean’s half brother. Not preferable but still in the bloodline.” 

Addy’s stomach rolls. “The Winchester bloodline.” 

“You’re his only choice for a decent vessel that will give him a chance at winning this battle. Lucifer will come for you.” 

Addy turns to Gadreel who gives her a forlorn look. “I did not know about the vessel bloodline.” 

She believes him but that doesn’t help them right now. “Great. Just another reason the angels will want me dead.” 

Michael looks surprised. “Dead? Why would they want that? You’re able to tether them, keep them existing until Heaven reopens. They should be protecting you no matter what.” 

“Metatron wants her dead,” Gadreel speaks up. “He will send angels to carry out the hit.” 

“Speaking of hits,” Addy turns to her protecter, “you probably have one on your head now from him.” 

“Metatron?” Michael asks. “The scribe? I knew that was a mistake letting him out from behind his desk.” 

“So you’ll help us?” Addy asks. 

“If you’re trying to open to Heaven then yes.” 

“We’re just trying to stay alive at this point.” 

“Then it sounds like you need some help.” 

***

Gadreel can barely find the words to speak to Michael. He can barely find the courage to look at him. Before Eden had even been thought of, Michael had been his mentor, a friend. It was his friendship with the archangel that had gained him the reputation of God’s most trusted. Metatron wasn’t the only angel that God had plucked from obscurity and put into a position of power. 

There was no question when Eden was created who was going to be placed as the guardian of it. Trained by Michael, his brother, Gadreel oversaw the entire the Garden and its inhabitants. He had been connected to it all. He could hear the plants breathe, blossoms opening and closing. He could feel the flow of the water and the imprints of Adam and Eve’s feet in the soil. 

But then Lucifer wanted to prove a point and Gadreel was caught in the middle. He can still remember the day when Eden’s gates were shut. It was the equivalent to losing a limb or a sense such as sight. No longer could he feel the pulsing life surrounding him but he could hear his siblings outrage and hate. At first he thought it was all directed at Lucifer but he quickly realized it was his blood they wanted as well. 

Then Michael came for him. His friend, his brother and his mentor. His face thunderous, his heart broken. Gadreel had tried to reason with him, explain what had happened when Lucifer approached him. He told him the story of reconciliation that Lucifer had given him. 

“Please, brother listen to me! This is not my doing!”

But Michael had been silent the entire time he escorted Gadreel into places of Heaven that he had never seen. Light, sound, connections to his siblings were becoming more and more distant. It was only when they reached the cell door that Michael turned to him. 

“They wanted you in the cage with Lucifer. They want your wings and your grace on display. Father will not speak to us. Gabriel is missing and Raphael is behind the call for your death. This is the best I can do for you, because you are my friend.” 

“Death would be better than imprisonment. Give them what they want, Michael. I would rather be dead than locked away forever. Please, show me some mercy.” 

“I am being merciful.” 

And so began the countless thousands of years of imprisonment and torture. He had resigned himself to never seeing Michael again. So when the archangel takes control of the vessel, he is shocked and suddenly reduced to the cowering angel who clawed at the walls begging for his closest friend’s understanding and forgiveness. 

He can still see the anger behind the vessel’s eyes. He can still see the cracks in Michael’s trust that he himself has put there. The guilt and shame that had disappeared with Addison’s forgiveness and kindness come rushing back in force. He’s barely able to keep up with the conversation and it takes Addison’s gentle tug on his sleeve to bring him out of his thoughts. 

“Hey.” 

He still can’t seem to find words so he just nods in acknowledgement. 

“We’re going to find some scrubs for Michael and sneak him out of the hospital that way. Adam was studying pre-med so he can pull on that information to get himself out the door if need be.” 

“He is going to travel with us or with you?” 

Addison gives him a look that he can’t quite decipher. It looks to be either hurt or disbelief. Perhaps it’s a mix of both. “With us. You think I would what? Trade up or some such nonsense like that? You promised to protect me and I’m holding you that promise.” 

Before he can find a suitable response, Addison has left the rooftop, no doubt to find the clothing for Michael. At the thought of the archangel, Gadreel lifts his eyes to finally openly looks at him. The vessel is tall, thin and he can see the strain behind the eyes. But the more he looks at the vessel, the more he sees the similarities between Adam and Addison’s facial structure. 

“How did you get out?” Michael asks him. 

“The spell that Metatron used released the imprisoned angels.” 

Michael nods. “If the spell was to release all the imprisoned angels, that explains how the cage was opened then.”

“Will Lucifer come for her? Will he do that?” 

“Without a doubt, yes. He doesn’t have any other choice concerning vessels right now. And I’m sure every angel knows she’s the anchor and she’s a Winchester. It’s just a matter of time.” 

Addison returns and practically throws a set of scrubs and shoes at Michael. She still looks angry and upset so when she grabs Gadreel’s arm and tugs him back into the stairwell, he expects her to yell at him but she doesn’t. Instead, she takes a couple deep breaths before speaking. 

“We’re a team, Gad. You can’t forget that.” 

He swallows down the relief he feels at her statement. She will not abandon him or leave him behind for another angel. She’s given him the one thing he has been so desperate for all these years: trust. And he will not let her down. 

“I won’t.”


	10. Damned

“Put salt in front of the door.” 

Jael catches the salt container that Sam throws to her and shakes it in the direction of the door. 

“No,” he laughs, “Pour a line of salt in front of the door.” 

“Oh.” She does as he asks and looks over her shoulder to see him nod in approval. There were no cases in the area where they were so Sam thought he would introduce her to a ghost and how to handle said monster. They found an old, abandoned house that was rumored to have a ghostly inhabitant. They were putting the rumor to the test. 

Sam was loading shot gun shells into his gun. “Now, make a circle on the floor for us to stand in.” 

Jael makes a wide circle with the salt and steps inside of it. “Okay. Now what?” 

He joins her in the circle. “Now, we call her. What was her name?” 

“Agatha Williamson, I believe.” 

“Good enough.” He takes a deep breath and shouts “Agatha! Come on out!” 

Jael feels a cold chill come into the room and it makes the hair on the back of her neck stand up. It is quickly followed by a woman with dark ringed eyes and clothed in a tattered dress who drifts through the door. 

“He’ll be home soon. You need to go,” Agatha tells them. 

Sam watches the salt ring to make sure it doesn’t break. “Sometimes they say things that they’ve said a lot in their life. It’s not quite communication.” 

“Of course it is communication,” Jael says. “Just because you don’t understand the message doesn’t make it an less of a communication. Agatha, who’s going to home soon?” 

The ghost’s head swivels from Sam to Jael. “My husband, Thomas.” 

“Would he not like guests in his home?” 

“I need to prepare dinner, make cocktails. He’ll be home soon. You need to go.” 

Jael smiles. “How about I help you with your preparations?” 

The ghost’s eyes widen and a smile forms on her bloodied mouth. “That...would be most kind.” And with that, Agatha disappears from view and the room warms again. 

Sam stands there flabbergasted. “How...” 

Jael smiles smugly. “I did my research before coming into the house. Her husband murdered her, beat her to death, because she didn’t have dinner on the table by six o’clock. Fix the problem for the restless spirit, like offering her help with the preparations, and it puts the soul at rest. Temporarily, at least. Violence isn’t always the answer, Sam Winchester.” 

Sam steps out of the salt circle and starts to gather up the salt and bullets. “Who did you happen to take as a vessel, the female version of Dr. Phil?” 

“No, she was a nun. Well, a recently former nun.” 

“Oh yeah? What happened?” 

Jael frowns. “She fell in love with one of the parishioners in the church her order was affiliated with. They were making plans to marry, have a family, the dream. But as soon as she left the order, she found out he’s already married. Apparently he has a ‘nun kink’ but I’m not sure what that means and have a feeling I don’t want to know. She was heartbroken, lost and unsure how to move forward with her life.” 

“And then you came along.” 

“Yes.” 

“What’s going to happen to her when you leave? She’ll still be lost and she won’t have any place to go.” 

“Not all possessions end badly, Sam. I will make sure she’s provided for.” 

The tension in his shoulders leaves quickly and he slings the bag over his shoulder. “Sorry. It’s...” 

“I know. Angels are desperate. They’re scared and they’re making poor choices and humans are suffering for it. But that’s not our purpose. It never was.” 

Sam nods. “I do have to admit, the majority of angels that I’ve come across have been complete and utter dicks. You’re not too bad.” 

“Well, when you start the bar that low, there’s really no other way to go but up.” 

“True,” Sam laughs and puts the equipment in the trunk of the black sedan. They were just about to get into the car when Sam’s cell phone rang. He glances at the phone and frowns slightly. “It’s Addison.” 

Jael moves over to the driver’s side of the car as he puts the phone on speaker. 

“Hi Addison,” he greets. “Jael’s here too.” 

“Hey guys,” she greets but her voice is hushed and almost muffled. “I just wanted to call you and let you know that we’ve added a new angel to the posse.” 

“Why are you whispering? Where are you?” Sam asks.

“I’m hiding in the women’s restroom at some bar. I don’t know if they wanted me to call you or not and I’d rather not ask them for their opinion.” 

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, but this new angel, it’s Michael. He’s a little...intense.” 

Jael sees Sam’s face pale and she’s afraid he’s going to drop the phone. But he recovers quickly. “How did Michael get out of the cage?” 

“We think it was Metatron’s spell. It released all the imprisoned angels, including the ones the cage. Does this make any sense to you? I’m starting to feel like I’m talking gibberish.” 

“No, it makes sense. It’s just not good news.” 

Addison actually laughs. “Not for me but it is good news for you. Michael is convinced that Lucifer is going to come after me since you kicked his ass last time.” 

Jael jumps into the conversation. “He can’t possess you if you’re the anchor. He’ll have to wait until Heaven is open.” 

“And that’ll give us some time to think about how to handle this,” Sam adds. “No need to worry just yet. You stay safe, keep in touch.” 

“I will. You too.” 

Sam hangs up the phone with a sad, resigned look. “She was damned from the start of this, wasn’t she?” 

“Even the damned can be saved, Sam. And that’s what we will do for her.” 

 

***

It takes Metatron’s angels three days to find them outside Los Angeles. They are jumped leaving some local bar by a group of five angels. Addy is getting better at using a blade but still she could only defend herself, not assist in the fighting. Michael is still healing from his time in the cage. It is only Gadreel who has one hundred percent of his strength. 

So when a gun goes off and he drops to his knees, Addy knows something is wrong. Michael rallies enough strength to beat their attackers back when he saw Gadreel go down. Addy stands over him until the last angel retreats but when she starts to bend over him to see his injury, Michael pulls her upright.

“We’ll look at it somewhere safe.” 

He helps Gadreel to his feet and shoves him in the back seat of the car. Addy climbs in the back with him as Michael takes the driver’s seat and heads north on the nearest interstate. Addy starts tugging at Gadreel’s leather jacket until he hisses in pain. 

“Back of my shoulder,” he said. “Feels like a piece of angel blade stuck in there.” 

“What do you want me to do?” 

“Wait.” He leans his head against the car window. “Just wait until we stop for the night.” 

Addy looks up at Michael who gives her a rare smile. “He’ll live, Addison. No worries.” 

They drive for almost two hours before Michael pulls into an almost hidden roadside motel. Addy jumps out, books a room, grabs the key and walks down to the room. She has the door unlocked just as Gadreel stumbles through the door. He’s pale, with a sheen of sweat on his face. She grabs her bag with an angry yank from Michael. 

“No worries?” 

“Get the shard out and he’ll heal up before the sun rises,” Michael instructs her before heading back out the door. 

“Where are you going?” she calls after him. 

“Someone has to watch the perimeter in case we were followed. Work on him.” 

Addy closes the door and locks it, drawing the sigil on it. She turns around to see Gadreel has his jacket off but is struggling to get his t-shirt off. Her brother tore ligaments in his shoulder one time and she had to help him every once in a while with getting dressed. She goes over to Gadreel and pulls the shirt over his head for him much as she had done for Micah what seemed to be a lifetime ago. She grabs the first aid kit from the hunter’s bag and goes into the bathroom. The lighting isn’t great but it is the best in the hotel room. 

 

He leans over the sink and she can see the circular puncture just above his shoulder blade. “It looks like a bullet wound.” 

“Yes, I remember from my time with Sam that demons have melted down angel blades and made bullets out of them. I didn’t think my siblings would think to use such a weapon.” 

Addy pulls out cotton, alcohol and tweezers. “Yeah, well, this is Metatron we’re talking about. I have a feeling he’s not too concerned with where an idea comes from as long as it works.” She’s sterilized the tweezers and soaks the cotton ball in alcohol. “This is going to sting.” 

He braces himself but doesn’t show any reaction when she cleans the wound. In fact, he laughs briefly. “I forget that human’s view of pain is different from angels.” 

“This doesn’t hurt?” 

“Not at all. The bullet, that hurts.” 

Addy picks up the tweezers and sets to work trying to dig out the bullet. If she’s hurting him, he doesn’t show any sign of it. She feels the tweezers connect and carefully she eases the slug of metal out of the wound. 

“Ah ha! Not bad for my first time.” She drops the piece of metal into the sink and looks back at the entry point only to find the skin closing over already. Fascinated at seeing the wound healing itself, she reaches out and gently presses her fingers against his shoulder blade. That does cause a groan to issue from him and his head drops forward. 

“Hm,” Addy grins. “Finally found your off button, then.” 

“Addison...” 

He sounds pained and she immediately starts prodding the area of fresh skin again fearing she only managed to get some of the bullet out. If there is another piece, she’s going to have to cut him open again. 

“Where does it hu-” 

He spins around so fast she can’t register the movement until she feels the wall against her back. His hands have her wrists pinned on either side of her head and his face is buried in the side of her neck. She can feel the slide of his nose against her jawline, the briefest brush of his lips on her neck right under her ear. Addy has learned from being around him that angels tend to run cold but at the moment he feels like a furnace. 

“So,” she laughs and tries to make it sound light, “more of an ‘on’ button then an ‘off’ one then.” 

He comes back to himself and lifts his head. It’s just as Addy expects, he looks horrified with himself. He lets go of her wrists as if she’s burned him and he won’t look her in the eye. She knows it was a reaction to...something she had done. He had never been threatening towards her, always gentle and kind, and strangely enough even now she isn’t afraid of him. 

But he starts to open his mouth, starts to apologize and she doesn’t want to hear it. He’s apologized for far too much and she will not let him add this to the pile of shame he carries on his back. He doesn’t listen to her words so she acts without thinking things through completely. Grabbing his head, she pulls him down and kisses him firmly on the lips. Now it’s his turn to be stunned into inaction. When she releases him, his look of horror changes into complete confusion. 

“I didn’t want to hear you say you were sorry,” she blurts out. 

“Addison-” 

“I think you can call me Addy now.” 

A brief smile catches the corner of his mouth before disappearing completely. He starts to say something but it never makes it out of his mouth. 

“I’m sor-” She doesn’t get to finish her sentence because he’s kissing her now. She tries not to smile at the realization all he’s doing is mimicking her own hasty kiss. 

“I didn’t want to hear you say you were sorry either,” he tells her and if she doesn’t know better she would classify his expression as bashful. 

He grabs his shirt and pulls it over his head. “I should have told you, warned you about this.” 

Addy’s legs are still shaky and her mind slightly fuzzy. “About what? You’ve got smooth criminal skills and were holding out on me?” 

“Uh, no. That just as angels feel pain differently, it is the same with pleasure.” 

“And let me guess, shoulders are a hot zone for angels? Why?” 

“Because it is where our wings are.” 

Addy feels like an idiot for not realizing that sooner. Her mind is starting clear and embarrassment is starting to settle in now. Before she can think too deeply on what has just happened between them, her cell phone rings. She pulls it out of her back pocket and looks at the caller ID before answering the call. 

“Sam?” 

“Yeah, Addison. How are you?” 

She looks at the clock and sees it’s almost two in the morning. “I’m fine but I guessing you’re not.” 

“No, we’re fine. We just wanted to pass along a message.” 

“Okay.” 

“Metatron wants to have a meeting.” 

She turns the speakerphone on. “Metatron wants to have a meeting. With who?” 

Sam sighs. “With all of us apparently. How close are you to Kansas?” 

“Two days drive. Day and half if I can convince one of the angels to do the driving.” 

“Alright, we’ll see you in a couple days. Gadreel knows where the bunker is and how to get in.” 

“Okay.” Addy disconnects the call and tries to ignore the scowl that Gadreel is sending her way. “This might be a good thing.” 

“This might be a trap.” 

“Then it’s a good thing I have you and Michael.” She tosses the first aid kit into the hunters bag and throws it over her shoulder. “Let’s find him and get on the road before Metatron changes his mind.” 

“You need to rest.” 

“I’ll sleep in the car.” She leaves the hotel room and makes a beeline for the car. Michael steps out of the darkness towards her. 

“Are we going somewhere?” 

“Kansas,” Addy answers. “Metatron wants a meeting.” 

Gadreel has followed her out. “I don’t think we should go. If we do, then Addy shouldn’t be there.” 

Michael looks back and forth between them and Addy tries not to squirm under the archangel’s gaze. It didn’t escape her notice that Gadreel called her Addy and not Addison and she’s certain Michael is privy to what has happened in the hotel room. 

“Fine,” he says at length. “We’ll work out a plan in the car.” 

Addy climbs into the backset of the car and lays down on the seat. Gadreel must have taken the driver’s seat because it’s Michael that climbs into the passenger seat and into her line of vision. It’s for the best, really. As she starts to fall asleep she finds she has to place her hand over her neck to keep it from tingling.


	11. Cost

Sam and Jael arrive at the bunker half a day ahead of Addison and her two angels. She had hoped Sam would take the opportunity to sleep or at least rest, but no. He immediately went to talk to Dean and now the two of them are arguing quite loudly in the library. She didn’t know what else to do, being stuck in the kitchen and too uncomfortable to make her presence known to the feuding brothers, she makes herself a cup of tea. 

“Jael.” 

She looks up to see a weary and worn angel before her. “Castiel.” 

He eyes the cup of tea with a raised eyebrow. “Peppermint?” 

“I suppose. I can’t bring myself to actually drink it.” 

“Then why did you make it?” 

She shrugs. “It beats listening to them fight.” 

Castiel nods sadly. “They’re not usually like this.” 

Jael wants to ask why they are angry with each other but realizes it’s not her business. She’s surprised when Castiel sits at the table with her and sets a book down between them. 

“It’s the Mark of Cain. It’s...changing Dean.” 

Grateful to push the sharp scented tea away from her, Jael reaches for the book. “Why would Dean take the Mark?” 

“To kill a Knight of Hell, Abaddon. Only the First Blade can kill a Knight.” 

“And?” 

Cas looks down at his hands and then up to the ceiling. “He succeeded while you and Sam were monitoring Addison. He then carried through and fulfilled his promise to Cain to return and kill him as well.” 

Jael flips through the book and sees that is lore on Biblical weapons, the First Blade included. “Does he wish to get rid of the Mark?” 

“I don’t believe he does. Not with Metatron and Lucifer still out there. But if he dies while bearing the Mark...” 

Jael nods thoughtfully. “He’ll awake as the next Knight of Hell.” 

“Going into this meeting with Metatron, I don’t want Dean there if he still bears the Mark. But getting to him sit on the sidelines-” 

“It’ll be just as impossible to get Addison to do the same.” 

Cas tilts his head in agreement. “I wonder if Gadreel can convince her to not go.” 

“If he hasn’t had an aneurism by now, it’s possible though doubtful.” 

“Addison is a handful.” 

“She’s a Winchester, what did you expect?”

Cas smiles briefly but the sound of something breaking in the other room takes it away completely. “We need to get the Mark off of him.” 

Jael finds the passage on the Mark and reads through it. Apparently only an archangel would have the power to remove the Mark and destroy it for good. “Did you read on how to get rid of the Mark?” 

“I did. Do you think Michael...” 

She hates to be one to dash his hope but to encourage it would only hurt him more in the end. “Michael is too weak. The cage, it was a terrible experience for him and his vessel. It’s going to take a while for him to regain the strength he would need to banish the Mark.” 

He looks so defeated when she tells him. The bond between Castiel and Dean is famous throughout Heaven but seeing it up close, seeing the cracks and flaws between the two of them, is much more painful than she anticipated. Being the class of angel that she was, it of course drew her to them and the situation. It put a desire in the very heart of her grace to find a solution to this problem. And she might have one. 

“There’s nothing in there that tells how much power the archangel will need to use to destroy the Mark.” 

“No, only that an archangel is the only one with the power to do it.” 

Jael takes off her glasses and folds them. “Castiel, how much do you know about me?” 

His brow furrows. “You’re a Rit Zien. You were the medic placed in charge of my garrison.” 

“Do you know anything about my history? When I was created? Who trained me to be a Rit Zien?” 

He thinks for a minute and then shakes his head. “I have to admit, I never gave your unit of angels much thought. I was always grateful for your service but not exactly curious as to how you came to be.” 

“Raphael was the one that was placed in charge of training the Rit Zien’s. Father created a small group, only ten of us, at first to see how it would go. Giving angels that extra shot of power to annihilate each other in a millisecond, it was a risk.” 

Cas raises one eyebrow. “And Raphael was the one that was placed in charge of them?” 

“He didn’t start out the way you knew him. Lucifer’s betrayal is what hardened his heart and changed his mission. He was the Healer of Heaven, gentle and kind hearted. He was the one who trained us, the first ten Rit Ziens. Then when Father made more of us, we ten trained them.” 

“You were one of the ten?” 

Jael smiles. “I was. I’m very old, Castiel, almost as old at the Archangels themselves. I have mostly recovered from the fall and have more power to tap than any angel in our vicinity.” 

“What are you saying?” 

“I think I might be able to remove the Mark of Cain from Dean.” 

“Do it.” 

Jael and Cas both stand up in surprise. Neither one of them had heard Dean come into the room. 

Sam drifts in slowly behind him. “What’s going on?” 

“Jael thinks she can remove the Mark,” Dean tells him before turning back to Jael. “I told her to do it. This thing, it’s making me into something I don’t want to be. And we’re going into a meeting with Metatron, we have a chance to end this angel mess on the ground and I don’t want to be a runaway missile that screws it up for everyone.” 

Jael can appreciate the sincerity that’s coming from Dean. It’s easy to tell he’s having a moment of clarity and the pain that is coming from him backs up his words. She nods. “I will do my best.” 

“What do we have to do,” Sam asks. 

Jael looks to Cas for help. “We’ll most likely have to restrain him.” 

“The infirmary then,” Dean says and walks out of the kitchen. 

Sam, Cas and Jael follow him throughout the bunker. Sam comes up to Jael and leans over to whisper to her. 

“Are you sure about this?” 

“Not at all,” she answers honestly. “But we have to try something. Besides, if something goes wrong, at least Michael and Gadreel will be here in a few hours.” 

“Goes wrong for you or for Dean?” 

“Trust me, Sam, if anything goes wrong, it’ll be for me. In order to destroy the Mark, I have to pull it from your brother, surround it with my grace and smother it into nothingness. Pulling it from Dean isn’t going to be the issue. It’s if I have enough grace to destroy it.” 

“And if you don’t?” 

“Then at least I can weaken it so he can have better control.” 

Sam reaches out and touches her arm. “And what’ll happen to you? To your grace?” 

She’s surprised that he would even care what was going to happen to her with his brother’s life on the line. But it shouldn’t surprise her, not really. Compassion drives Sam the same way it drives the Rit Ziens. “I don’t know what it’s going to do to my grace. But we have to try. Especially if he’s willing.” 

Sam nods solemnly. “Well, thank you.” 

“Thank me if it works.” 

***

Gadreel nearly misses the turn on the side road that leads to the bunker. Addy had been asleep for the majority of the drive and Michael had taken the opportunity to speak his mind. Gadreel is able to ignore most of the standard warnings of getting too close to a human when they’re in an angelic charge but there was one question the archangel asked that he can not simply forget. 

“So, who exactly is in love with her, you or the vessel?” 

It had been an offhand comment, said with a slight smirk but it happened to be the one thing that replayed in Gadreel’s mind. Taking a vessel is not as clear cut as he believed it to be. Joseph Sullivan had prayed for help, he had answered and it was a mutual beneficial possession. Joseph had been suffering from emotional trauma due to war so when Gadreel had taken over, he placed him in a dream of what Joseph believed to be the perfect life. 

But every once in a while, Joseph would come to surface and Gadreel would let him. Now that Michael had put that thought in his head, Gadreel realizes Joseph had been paying more attention to the events unfolding around them since Addy had appeared. He thought back to the motel room, to being close to her, kissing her and tries to remember if Joseph had been present during that time. 

He doesn’t like to admit that Joseph had been very present and even more interested in the happenings surrounding Addy. Was it possible to be jealous of a vessel? Or was it possible to let the emotions he was feeling tangle with those of Joseph’s and have both of them be happy eventually? Gadreel does know he cares for Addy, he wants to see her survive this and find her own happiness. But the desire to be close to her, to hold her and kiss her again, that very well could be Joseph’s feelings bleeding through. 

It’s a thought he pushes away as he parks the SUV right outside the door of the bunker and Michael and Addy follow him through the side door that he had used as Sam on multiple occasions. But when they open the door, the bunker is completely dark. He flips on the light switch but nothing happens. The trio all sense that something is wrong and he hears the angel blades drawn as they move further into the bunker. But when they reach the library, Castiel greets them with a grim face illuminated by a flashlight. 

“It’s good to see you all.” 

It’s not the greeting any of them were expecting but Michael recovers first and steps forward. “What’s happened?” 

“Follow me,” Castiel turns and starts walking in the direction he just came from. “We found a text that gave us instructions on how to remove the Mark of Cain.” 

“Only an archangel can do that and I’m-” 

“I know,” Castiel interrupts. “Jael thought she could do it. The amount of power needed to dispel the thing caused the fuse boxes to overload.”

“Was she successful?” Michael asks but Castiel doesn’t answer. 

“Oh no,” Addy murmurs and grabs a hold of Gadreel’s sleeve. 

“What happened?” Gadreel asks. 

They enter into the infirmary where candles have been lit so everyone can see. The scene isn’t what Gadreel is expecting. Dean is standing, the darkness of the Mark no longer swirling around him but Jael is laid out on one of the hospital beds. He can’t tell if it’s the candlelight playing tricks or not but she didn’t look like she was breathing. 

In fact, he tries to gain a read on her but finds there is nothing there. No grace, no life. Whatever she did to remove the Mark had killed her. Addy makes a distressed noise and Gadreel puts an arm around her wondering if he should remove her from the room before she realizes the Rit Zien’s state. But Michael makes the unwelcome announcement before Gadreel can decide what to do. 

“She’s gone.” 

“Can’t you bring her back?” Sam asks. 

“Why would I do that?” 

“Because you’re a friggin’ archangel, man.” Dean speaks up. “And she deserves better than this.” 

“Does she, Dean?” Michael lets his hand hover over Jael’s head. “The vessel’s spirit is gone too. If I bring her back, Jael will be alone in that body with no human spirit to help guide her. And that’s if she hasn’t already connected to the anchor. So who’s going to help her with that adjustment?” 

“I will,” Sam answers without hesitation. 

Michael shakes his head minutely. “Fine. Are you prepared to give me a day of recovery before we run off and deal with Metatron? Are you willing to put that mess on hold for this?” 

Dean nods. “Absolutely. You know us well enough by now to know we respect sacrifice.” 

“That you do.” Michael stretches out his hand and it only takes a few seconds before Jael sits up gasping for breath. Everyone seems to breath a sigh of relief except for Michael and Jael herself, who looks up directly at Michael. 

“I can’t...feel...hear...” 

Michael regards her with distant eyes. “That’s because you burnt out your grace destroying the Mark. You’re human now.”


	12. Fragile

   
“Tell me about your vessel.”  
   
When Dean offered a room to Addison, Gadreel jumped on the chance to get her out of the infirmary. However, out of the all the questions that she could up with after witnessing what she had, this is not the question he is prepared to answer. “I’m sorry?”  
   
She sits down the bed, the only comfortable place to sit in the room which is slightly smaller than he remembers Sam’s room being. “I want to know about your vessel.”  
   
There is an extra desk chair sitting in the corner so he moves that next to the bed, sits down and braces himself for the worst. “What would you like to know?”  
   
“How about a name?”  
   
“Joseph Sullivan. He prefers Joe, though.” Just speaking his name raises Joseph from his slumber. Like the other times, he merely sits there and observes the situation. Though his desire to draw closer to Addy transfers to Gadreel and the angel finds himself moving the chair nearer to the bed.  
   
“Is he still in there?”  
   
Gadreel nods.  
   
Addy crosses her arms and frowns. “Is he…happy?”  
   
An odd warmth spreads through Gadreel and he realizes it is Joseph’s emotions, not his, that he’s feeling. It leaves Gadreel uneasy, uncomfortable. “He is content for the majority of the time. He is,” he searches the correct word, “pleased that you show concern for him.”  
   
It must have been the proper choice because the same feeling washes over him again and Addy seems to relax a bit. “Why did he say yes to being a vessel?”  
   
At that question, Joseph retreats somewhat and Gadreel is left with the all too familiar aftertaste of shame and failure. But Gadreel had seen the inside of this man’s mind and soul. There was no reason for him to feel those things and he hopes that one day Joseph will be able to realize that.  
   
“Because he’s a brave man. He was a soldier, he fought in a war and did things that he had to though he didn’t want to do them. He…struggled after he returned home.”  
   
“Did he have PTSD?”  
   
“I believe that is what you call it, yes.”  
   
“And he doesn’t have it now?”  
   
“I’ve healed the portions of his brain that were faulty and working incorrectly. I’ve also sealed off the most disturbing of the images in his memories. He should suffer no more from this condition.”  
   
Addy laughs nervously. “You make it sound like you’re going to leave him.”  
   
“Eventually, yes, I will. He deserves to live out the rest of his life in peace and health.”  
   
“And what will happen to you?”  
   
“I’ll go back home, to Heaven.” At least, he hopes that will be what happens, that his reputation will be restored and he will be welcomed back into his family.  
   
“I see.” Addy stands up. “I think I’ll go check on Jael.”  
   
Joseph comes raging back with such force it almost knocks Gadreel off balance. Gone is the shame he feels at the emotional trauma he had difficulty coping with, gone is the warm contentment he felt when Addy showed concern for him. He is angry now but Gadreel can’t figure out where the anger is directed. “Addy?”  
   
“I’ll be back,” she answers as she slips out the door.  
   
Gadreel lurches after her, still trying to make sense of why Joseph is so upset and how to properly calm him, but by the time he steps into the hallway, she’s gone.  
   
***  
   
Jael thought the fall from Heaven was jarring but it is nothing compared to how she feels now. She’s cold, tired and sore but when she reaches for her grace there’s nothing there now. It’s like a phantom limb, gone but very much not forgotten. She had been an angel for longer than the Earth had spun on its axis. Never had she given thought to being a human, to walk on the ground among them. Her job wasn’t to care for humans but rather treat wounded angels. The fall had opened her eyes to this new world and the creations that lived in it. She had been confused but adapted. Now she is just lost with no tools to help her find her way.  
   
She paces around the infirmary, trying to assess the new feelings and the lack of the old ones. She can’t hear angel radio, not even a whisper. She knows there are three angels in the bunker but she can’t feel them. When she looked at them as they left her alone, all she could see was the face of their vessels. She couldn’t see Castiel’s flickering grace, Michael’s dimmed brilliance or Gadreel’s scars. She comes to stand in front of a small mirror over a sink and she doesn’t even recognize her own face.  
   
“Here,” Sam presses a water bottle into her hand. “You should probably drink something.”  
   
She had never had to think of these things before. Eating, drinking, sleeping. They had been technicalities that she had to observe with Sam but only in appearance. A flash of annoyance comes over her as she opens the bottle and takes a drink. The taste is not what she had expected and she’s gone through half the bottle before she stops drinking. She can’t even tell if she likes it or not.  
   
“You alright?”  
   
She nods her head. It’s the sixth time Sam has asked her that but that she can’t bring herself to be angry with him. He and Dean both feel responsible for her current condition and have promised to help her. She’s grateful to them for that and it’s that gratefulness that allows her to keep her tongue in check. Dean comes back into the infirmary at the same time the lights come back flicker back on again.  
   
“Look at that,” Dean says, “Cas can fix a fuse box.”  
   
“Where’s everyone else?” Sam asks.  
   
“Addison and her bodyguard are currently arguing in one of the extra bedrooms, Cas was fixing the lights and Michael is destroying the first blade.”  
   
“What are they arguing about?” It is a mundane detail that Jael can focus on instead of dealing with the sensations that are overloading her at the moment.  
   
“I didn’t exactly stand outside their door and listen.”  
   
“That doesn’t sound like you,” Sam quips.  
   
Dean shrugs. “Something about vessels. That’s all I got, I swear.”  
   
Vessels. She had promised Sam that she would see to it that her vessel was well taken care of when it was time to return to Heaven. Now, the poor woman is stuck in the veil with the rest of the human souls locked out of Heaven. She needs a purpose, a problem on which to focus. Heaven needs to be reopened. Metatron wants a meeting. They need to work on that. She’ll learn how to be human while helping them accomplish this goal.  
   
“Metatron,” she says, “when is our meeting with him?”  
   
“Hold on,” Sam tells her. “How about we work through getting you comfortable first.”  
   
Comfort is a completely foreign concept to her. “I don’t understand.”  
   
“Do you want something to eat? Something else to drink? Are you tired?”  
   
Dean asks the questions and Jael isn’t sure how to answer any of them. What did hunger feel like? She already drank some water, how much more did she need to drink? And sleep, the loss of consciousness, frightened her immensely. How would she protect herself? What if they were attacked, how would she know?  
   
“Easy,” Sam took her arm and sat her down on the side of one of the hospital beds. “Deep breaths.”  
   
She hadn’t been aware that her breathing had sped up to the point where she had been gasping for air. It only took a few seconds for her to regain control over her breathing and her heart returned to its normal pace. Heartbeats, time, breathing. Being a human is so much more complicated than she even imagined.   
   
Dean gives her an apologetic look. “Too many questions, sorry.”

“Kitchen,” Sam says as he stands up. “We’ll go to the kitchen and start there.” 

“Okay,” Jael nods and follows Sam and Dean out of the infirmary. But on their way through the bunker, they run into Gadreel. 

“Is Addison not with you?” 

All three of them shake their head and Jael has a feeling their trek to the kitchen is about to experience a very large detour. 

***

Addy needs some time to herself and finds slipping out of the bunker and into her mother’s SUV to be much easier than it should be. She remembers the town of Lebanon being relatively close and starts towards it. It’s only eleven p.m. so the chance of finding a bar open is very strong. 

She’s only a mile away from the bunker when the realization that she is alone finally hits her. She hasn’t been alone since she woke up from the coma. The idea settles and it feels good. She had been surrounded by well meaning friends in Denver and then she had met Gadreel and ever since then, they’d been inseparable. 

But then she realizes something else: even though she’s enjoying her new found freedom, she doesn’t want it to last. She likes having Gadreel near by. She likes watching him learn and understand humans things that she has always taken for granted. She likes the fierce and gentle way he protects her. 

And that is what hurts the most in this whole situation. She’s fallen for the angel and it is the stupidest thing that she has ever done in her entire life. An angel, of all things. Micah must be laughing his ass off in Heaven. Of course Gadreel would choose to return to Heaven. She’s known from the start that his ultimate goal is to restore his reputation and be reunited with his family. She was foolish to believe he would give all that up for a life on the ground. 

She parks the car in front of a decent looking bar and heads inside. The patrons seem to be a quiet group, mostly businessmen watching the game or women catching up with their friends at the end of the week. She sits at the bar, orders a beer and starts a firm talking to herself about how she needs to help Gadreel attain his goal and wish him the best when he reaches it. She has to let him go. She’s halfway through her beer when someone finally approaches her. 

“Is this seat taken?” 

She turns to tell them she’s not in the mood to talk but stops short when she sees who it is. Gadreel smiles at her, a smile she’s never seen before. In fact, the way he’s standing is different too. He looks more relaxed, softer around the edges. His smile is easier, his eyes not as haunted. It’s as if he’s a completely different person and it suddenly hits her. “Joseph?” 

His smile grows into a full fledged grin. “It is very nice to finally meet you, Addison.” 

“What happened to-” 

“Oh he’s still in here,” Joseph assures her as he takes the seat next to her. “He thought perhaps you were angry at him and you would prefer to speak with me.” 

This is so surreal for her it makes her head hurt. This stranger is smiling at her, making conversation with her but he’s wearing her friend’s face. “I’m not angry with him.” 

“He’s relieved to hear that. So who are you angry with?” 

“I’m not up for having this conversation with you. No offense, you’re probably a really nice guy but I would rather talk to Gadreel.” 

Joseph raised his hands. “I understand that. And I will give the reins over to him in a moment, after I tell you something you need to know.” 

“And that is?” 

“We find ourselves in a strange predicament. You’re in love with him, or at least heading in that direction. But angels, they weren’t suppose to have this range of emotions. They were created to do a job and that’s it. Then, some of them started choosing free will and developed the ability to feel something other than duty. And some of these emotions are very tightly bound to their vessel’s emotions.” 

“So what are you saying? He doesn’t know how to love?” 

“He’s learning.” Joseph smiles. “He’s learning what the feeling is like and how to express it.” 

Addy frowns. “Let me guess, he’s learning with your help.” 

“Yes.” 

“Why?” 

“Because, Addison Weaver, I have fallen in love with you.” 

“That is just beautiful.” 

Addy didn’t have time to even see who interrupted them as Gadreel immediately took control once more. Instantly, he had a hold of Addy’s arm and put himself between her and the stranger. She peeked around his arm to get a look at the man. He looked very unassuming, dressed simply and an average looking man. But Gadreel is practically vibrating with tension. 

“Hello, Gadreel,” he smiles but there’s an edge to it. “It’s been a...long time.” 

Addy wonders why no one in the bar has reacted to this confrontation. Gadreel has his angel blade out and she’s cowering behind him but no one has stepped in to break it up. She glances around the bar to find everyone frozen, still. It is only the three of them that are in motion. 

The man moves around them, walking behind the bar and pouring himself a glass of scotch. “After all these years, you don’t have anything to say to me, old friend?” 

“I am not your friend,” Gadreel spits out. Addy has never heard so much venom in his voice before. 

The man feigns a look of hurt and recoils slightly. “Ouch.” 

“You lied to me.” 

“And I ended up being put in a cage for it. Twice, actually.” 

“I was imprisoned when Eden’s gates were closed. I was left at the hands of Thaddeus for a millennia. All because you lied to me about our Father’s orders.” 

The man holds up his hands. “I really didn’t think Michael would be that vindictive considering you two were such bffs at the time. My bad.” 

And suddenly Addy realizes who this is and the name escapes her mouth before she can stop it. “Lucifer.” 

His eyes zero in on her. He smiles slowly and waves at her. “Hello, Addison.”


	13. For the Love of Humanity

Gadreel never takes his eyes off Lucifer as the archangel walks around the bar at a leisurely pace. Thankfully Addison stays directly behind him and he can feel her hand holding tightly to his arm. He is surprised to see the once and brilliant angel now has scars criss-crossing against his grace. They are far more numerous then Gadreel’s own though it is not surprising. Apparently there had been a modicum of mercy in Michael’s choice to put Gadreel in Heaven’s prison and not Lucifer’s cage. 

“You can put that away,” Lucifer says, pointing to Gadreel’s angel blade. “You’re not going to need that. Not yet at least.” 

“What do you want?” 

“I only came to introduce myself to the newest Winchester.” Lucifer smile turns into a half snarl. “I swear you’re all like cockroaches the way you crawl out of the woodwork. How many Winchesters are there?” 

“I see your views on the humans have not changed.” 

“Ditto, little brother.” Lucifer takes a drink from the glass. “Still slobbering over the disease infested little monsters. Come on, you’re better than that. We all are.” 

“The humans were placed in our charge. They are ours to protect, to watch over and care for.” 

“On whose orders? Dad’s? Dad’s not here anymore. We used to be peaceable, diligent and happy. Until the humans were created. Then the division came, those of us who followed Dad’s order to love them unconditionally and those of us who refused to put something in front of our desire to love Him. 

“But what would happen if we let the little vermin kill themselves so we can wash our hands of them. Everything that we, the angels, have ever fought for or about will be gone. We, united and at peace with our siblings will inherit Heaven and Earth.” Lucifer moved to stand in front of Gadreel, his eyes full of sincerity. “And then you know what will happen? Father will return home to a utopia. And we will welcome him with open arms. Won’t we, brother?” 

Gadreel raises his blade slowly. “Not at the expense of human lives. I do follow our Father’s orders in the hope that when he does return, he will find his prized creations to be well. That his angels were the caretakers that he tasked them to be. You seem to be mistaken that loving the humans is to not love our Father. But following His orders in spite of His absence is a show of true loyalty and devotion to Him.” 

“They’ll be the death of you,” Lucifer frowns. “And the little, cowering pile of dust behind you. You’re willing to die for that?” 

“I am.” 

Lucifer’s eyes narrow. “Huh. You really are, aren’t you? All those years in prison didn’t teach you anything. That’s a pity.” Lucifer shrugged. “Addison, you and I will meet at a later time. Denver, most likely.” 

“You can’t possess me while I’m the anchor,” Addison speaks up from behind Gadreel. Her voice is surprisingly steady in spite of the situation. “And I wouldn’t say yes to you no matter what.” 

Lucifer smiles. “That’s what Sam said too. Eventually, he did say yes and so will you. I’ll see you in Denver.” 

The archangel disappears and the bar returns to its normal function. Addison practically collapses against his back in relief. He quickly returns his angel blade to his sleeve and pulls Addison under his arm. 

“I think I’m going to be sick.” 

He ushers her out of the bar as quickly as possible. As soon as the cool night air hits them, Addison twists away from him and vomits into the bush outside the bar. When she’s done, she stumbles back to him with tears in her eyes. She doesn’t say anything as she pulls her keys out of her jacket pocket and hands them to him. He finds the car easily enough and gets her settled in the passenger seat. He climbs into the driver’s seat and starts the drive back to the bunker. 

“Where are the others?” Addison finally asks, her voice thick with tears. 

“Back at the bunker. Dean dropped me off when we found your car.” 

“You found me a lot quicker than I thought you would.” 

“I was...concerned.” 

“So you sent Joseph? Why would you do that?” 

It’s the first time that Addy has ever displayed anger towards him and it makes him ill. “I was...”

“What?” 

“I thought you would be more comfortable speaking to him.” 

“Why? I don’t know Joseph. I would have preferred to talk to you.” 

“But I don’t know...” 

Addy releases a long sigh but when she speaks again, it’s with less bite. “You don’t know what?” 

He doesn’t even know how to finish that sentence. There is so much he doesn’t know how to do even after spending this much time on earth. He can only access so much of his vessel’s memory and right now, Joseph has retreated completely just as he promised he would do. 

“Gad?” 

He swallows down the rise of emotions that he can’t even begin to sort out right now. “There are many things,” he finally manages to say, “that I do not know about. I...am very lost. Particularly when it comes to you.” 

Addy sniffs. “I’m sorry for running away. I didn’t mean for it to worry you and I promise, I won’t do it again.” 

“Thank you.” 

“Thank you for coming to get me.” 

“I will always come get you.” They reach the bunker and he parks the car in front of the door once more. “I will inform them of our meeting with Lucifer and what was said. You should just go back to your room and rest.” 

“No. We’ll go through this together.” She undoes her seatbelt and gives him a completely open and oddly defeated look. “You’re not the only one who’s lost.” 

***

Addy realizes that she has a lot of explaining to do before retreating back to her room when she and Gadreel descend the stairs into the kitchen area and find everyone there waiting for them. But she is tired, exhausted to the point of barely keeping her eyes open. Panic has seized the residents in the bunker and with good reason. 

The devil is on their doorstep, quite literally. 

Michael seems to be the only one completely undisturbed by the whole occurrence so after an hour of questioning, Addy finally turns to him in an effort to bring an end to the conversation.  
   
“You’re taking this well.”  
   
He barely lifts his shoulders. “I knew this was going to happen. I told you he would come for you. But Jael was correct, Lucifer can not possess you until you cease being the anchor. Right now, all he can really do is wait.”  
   
“He froze an entire bar filled with people,” Sam countered. “What else can he do to cause problems while he waits?”  
   
“Not a lot,” Michael answers. “What he did to the bar was typical Lucifer showmanship and I can assure you, it sapped most of his power. He was in worse condition than I was when we were ejected from the cage.”  
   
“Kicked his ass from one end to the other then?” Dean smirks.  
   
“Not really, no,” Michael answers. “The cage was built specifically for him, to contain him. The weakening sigils were more effective on him then me.”  
   
“Do we need to worry about retaliation from him?” Cas asks.  
   
Michael nods. “I think we would be foolish to not expect it. But there is only so much damage he can inflict in his weakened state.”  
   
“Do we have to worry about him getting into the bunker?” Sam asks.  
   
“No,” Michael shakes his head. “I warded against him specifically. He can’t get in here.”  
   
Addy stands up. “Good to know. In that case, I’m going to get some sleep.” 

“What? That’s it?” Sam waves his hand in exasperation. “You go face to face with Satan and now you’re going to go sleep?” 

“What else am I suppose to do? Stay up, piling on more exhaustion as we go into our meeting with Metatron? For now, Lucifer can’t get to us. He can’t get in here. He can’t possess me. We have time to come up with a plan to deal with that at a later time. So, in the meantime, I’m going to get some sleep.” 

Dean points at her. “No sneaking out this time. It seems whenever you say you’re going to go do something, you go off and do something else. Do us all a favor and stay put.” 

Addy smirks as she heads out of the kitchen. “Yes, Dad.” 

“Don’t think I won’t ground you!” he shouts back. 

Addy returns to her room but leaves the door open knowing Gadreel won’t be too far behind her. There’s a small bathroom next to the closet and she uses that to change into her pajamas and brush her teeth. By the time she emerges, her angel is standing in the doorway of the room, making no attempt to cross the threshold.  
   
“Are you coming in?”  
   
He frowns. “I was told to stand in the doorway.”  
   
“Why?”  
   
“To prevent you from leaving again.”  
   
Addy tosses her clothes and toothbrush back in her bag. “Believe me, I’m not going anywhere tonight. The fun gets killed when you actually run into Satan himself.”  
   
A brief smile crosses his face as he steps into the room and closes the door. “Perhaps we should refrain from conversing this time since it did not go very well before.”  
   
Addy pulls the blankets back on the bed and climbs under them. “Maybe we just need to talk about something else, something more pleasant.”  
   
“Such as?”  
   
“What are your happy thoughts?”  
   
He gives her a quizzical look and she pats the empty side of bed. He toes his shoes off and lays down next to her.  
   
“Happy thoughts, Gad,” she explains as she arranges his arm around her so she can lay her head on his shoulder comfortably. “What do you think about when you need something to lift your spirits?”  
   
He’s quiet for a moment. “You.”  
   
It touches her more than she can say and it takes her a minute to regain control over her emotions. “Well, I don’t want to talk about me. What else?”  
   
“Eden, then.”  
   
Addy closes her eyes. “Tell me about Eden.”  
   
It doesn’t take long for the steady drone of his voice describing the plants and animals found in the lost garden before she falls asleep. It doesn’t surprise her either to find her dreams are filled with wild and riotous landscapes that she stalks through searching for an unwanted serpent to cast out.


	14. The Plot Twist

   
Addy eyes the abandoned industrial building with trepidation as she gets out of the SUV. “What is with you angels and abandoned buildings?”  
   
“No interruptions,” Michael answers.  
   
“No witnesses, either,” Addy counters.  
   
The archangel gives her a brief half-smile before moving away from the group to circle around the building. The Impala pulls up next to the SUV and the four occupants get out to join Addy and Gadreel at the door of the building. Dean motions to the disappearing figure of Michael.  
   
“Where’s he going?”  
   
Addy shrugs. “I don’t know. He disappears like that often, every place we’ve ever been. I assume it’s a safety thing.”  
   
Dean frowns. “Sounds shifty to me.”  
   
“Why do I get the impression you think all angels are shifty?”  
   
Dean gives a hard look at Gadreel. “Because they are.”  
   
“Maybe if you didn’t treat them with distrust-“  
   
“Maybe you need to not trust them so much-“  
   
“Hey!” Sam interrupts. “For all intents and purposes, we’re on the same side right now. We have to be united going into this meeting.”  
   
“Sam’s correct,” Gadreel says. “We don’t know how powerful Metatron has become since I last encountered him. He may have a found a way to tap into the angel tablet by now. If he decides to make a stand against us, we will need to launch a unified defense.”  
   
“So, first things first,” Sam says, “we put the two most vulnerable together and keep them as far away from Metatron as possible.”  
   
Addy can tell it doesn’t sit well with Jael to be referred to as “vulnerable.” From what Gadreel has told her, Jael was as old as he was and had been one of the more powerful angels. Blowing out her grace and being 100% human is more of an insult than anything. The only thing that is motivating her to make a go of being human is that Dean and Sam had the best of intentions in bringing her back.  
But Addy thinks it has more to do with the lingering touches and communicative looks between the former angel and Sam. In fact, Addy wonders if they see the same thing when they observe her and Gadreel. Lost little humans with their kind hearted protectors. Addy loops her arm through Jael’s in hopes of reassuring the other woman that she’s not alone.  
   
“We’re not as vulnerable as they think, are we, Jael?”  
   
The blond woman gives her a confused look. “I am.”  
   
“You still have your angel blade, right?”  
   
“Yes.”  
   
“Well then, not exactly defenseless.”  
   
Jael still looks slightly confused but she doesn’t move to disengage herself from Addy. Gadreel takes his stance next to Addy, with Sam on the other side of Jael. Dean and Cas take point but when they start for the door, they find the space is already occupied by Metatron.  
   
“Everyone in position, then?” He puts his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his feet. “I’ll wait.” 

“No need,” Michael answers, appearing around the corner of the building. “Say your piece.” 

Addy has to admit she takes a perverse pride in the slack-jawed look Metatron sports at seeing Michael standing there. It takes him a moment to recover before moving inside the building. Michael leads them in and Addy files in behind Jael and Sam. Sunlight shines through the various broken windows and illuminates the other wise dark building. Metatron stands in the middle of fallen beams and various amounts of litter as they form a tight semi-circle around him. His eyes fall directly on her and his mouth twists. 

“You’re shorter than I thought you would be.” 

“Ditto,” Addy retorts which causes Gadreel to take a half step in front of her. 

Metatron chuckles and raises his hand. “Let her speak her mind. I made her to be that way.” 

It’s a comment that gives everyone pause so Metatron continues. 

“I was concerned over my second in command’s loyalty. You can’t offer someone that kind of position without putting them through their paces. So I gave him a to do list.” 

“A hit list,” Sam spits. 

Metatron rolls his eyes to the ceiling and shrugs. “Semantics.” 

“Not to the lives that were taken,” Dean adds. 

Addy reaches out and grabs Gadreel’s hand. She practically feels the weight of guilt slam down on him. He’s been forgiven, not completely but enough. She tries to remind him of that with a quick squeeze that presses their palms together. 

“Regardless,” Metatron continues, “he carried through beautifully. He killed the prophet, his torturer and his best friend. That only left one more test, one more threat that needed to be eliminated. The damsel in distress. And it was on that one where he stumbled.” 

Jael shifts on her feet. “You didn’t create the angel anchor. I did.” 

Metatron gives Jael a baleful look. “Poor, graceless Jael. No, you didn’t. There was no need for an anchor. The charging station in Heaven is fully functional and the angels who wish to return are allowed passage. Those who wish to fade away and allow their vessels to continue their lives are free to do so as well.” 

Addy feels Jael reach out to her, her hand landing on Addy’s shoulder. “I am so sorry.” 

“Oh don’t apologize to her,” Metatron laughs. “Addison Weaver is completely my own creation. Her backstory, tragic. Her looks, eh, passable, I suppose. Then the idea came to make her a Winchester, make sure she found her way to you guys. So I gave her Sam’s heart and Dean’s mouth. But then,” he sighs sadly, “then she became a little too convincing. So convincing-” 

“Lucifer thought she really was a Winchester,” a new voice says from the shadows. 

Addy knows the voice before he even steps into their full view. “Gabriel?” 

He waves at her with a half grin. “Hi, Addy.” 

“You died,” Dean says. “We saw you die.” 

“Please,” Gabriel tilts his head to the side. “You can’t take the trick out of the Trickster. And I have to say that even though falling from Heaven hurt like a bitch, stumbling across this little magnificent creation,” he motions to Addy, “took some of the sting out of it. And seeing how completely convincing she was, well, only added to the entertainment.” 

“Didn’t you ever ask yourselves,” Metatron continues, “why you couldn’t track her? Heal her? Transport her? It had nothing to do with her being an anchor but everything to do with her complete and utter non-existence.” 

Addy felt her knees buckle until they hit the hard concrete. “I’m not real.” 

“Not now,” Gabriel says. “But you’re going to be.” 

Gabriel snaps his fingers and an odd warmth drops over Addy, like being wrapped in a blanket fresh out of the dryer. The world comes a bit more into focus and her emotions have a sharper edge to them. She feels faint, sick and buzzed all at once. 

“Now you have a real soul,” Metatron tells her, “not just a shadow of one.” 

Addy climbs to her feet on unsteady legs and leans heavily into Gadreel who puts his arm around her shoulders to steady her. “Why?” 

Metatron sighs. “The original spell to close Heaven would only eject the current, active angels. So, I had to tweak the spell a bit. I added a secondary spell that would release the imprisoned angels as well. I didn’t realize it would open Lucifer’s cage.” 

“Not until I ran into big brother over there,” Gabriel motions to Michael. 

Well, that explains where Michael always went whenever they stopped for a night. Perimeter check her ass. 

“It sounds like you have a plan concerning Lucifer,” Cas says. 

“Oh we do,” Gabriel says. “Lucifer needs to be locked up and pronto. And now, we have something he wants: a Winchester vessel who he figures won’t fight back.” 

“We can’t talk about the rest,” Metatron interjects and points to Addy. “Not with her here. I suggest you let Gadreel take her on a little road trip while we discuss the plan with you.” 

“Wait a minute,” Addy finally finds her tongue. “You bring me in here, tell me I’m not real, dropkick a soul into me so I can be Lucifer’s vessel and then you kick me out of the planning session? The hell kind of meeting is this?!” 

Metatron finally shows a flash of anger. “The kind of meeting that ends with my disloyal second in command, who has a penchant for falling for stupid ideals, doesn’t get smote where he stands. I suggest you two take this opportunity and go.” 

Addy finds herself half carried out of the building by Gadreel and she doesn’t even have the energy to fight him. 

***

Addison is more distraught than Gadreel has ever seen her. They check into a hotel somewhere outside of Oklahoma City and all she does for an hour is pace the length of the room. Gadreel is used to sitting quietly and just watching Addy work through whatever the issue happens to be. But he can sense the energy is different this time. 

There is a heartbreaking desperation and terror that is shredding her spirit. He has seen her fearful before, unsure of what her future holds but she has always been able to grab ahold of the emotions and wrestle them into submission. Tonight, that is not the case. Tonight, he’s watching her break into a thousand pieces and there is nothing he can do. No, that’s not true. He can do something, he’s just not sure what it is. 

“Addy?” 

She stops her pacing mid-step, as if he had shouted her name. “What?” 

He had hoped words would have presented themselves to him but they don’t. 

“Do you,” she pauses slightly. “Do you notice anything different about me?” 

He knows what she’s referring to and he seeks it out: her soul, her “realness” that Gabriel had granted her with a mere snap of his fingers. But he senses no change in her at all. She is still as bright as the night he met her in the graveyard. 

“I notice no difference.” 

She lays a hand over her heart. “Maybe nothing has changed then. Maybe I’m still not real.” 

“You are real.” 

“How do you know?” Her voice warbles, high pitched and filled with tears. 

He doesn’t know how to express this kind of knowledge to her. It simply is. It’s a feeling in the very core of his grace, a connection that has no ability to be described in the human language. He’ll have to show her. 

“You want to know how I know?” He raises his hand and places his palm against her forehead. “Close your eyes.” 

She immediately does as he asks and once more he is astounded at how much trust she has placed with him. He lets that emotion carry through the connection he makes with her, lets the awe he feels for her color the memories he shares. He lets her see first hand how he sees her: bright, beautiful and everything he loves about humanity. 

He shows her the flare of protectiveness he embraced in the graveyard when she flashed her gun. He allows her to feel the relief and gratitude of having someone release him from his bonds twice and place a fragile seed of trust in his hands. He brings back the warmth and laughter from their day spent in Yellowstone. The gift of acceptance, forgiveness and companionship she had freely given. 

Then he takes a deep breath and recalls the night in the hotel when she tended to his wounds. It had been the turning point for him. His desire to protect her as a means to expunge his marred reputation had shifted to his desire to protect her because he didn’t want to imagine a world without her. He lets her feel what her tactile kindness did to him, the emotions it awakened. Emotions he has no way of properly understanding or expressing. 

He ends the connection with his memories of the previous night. He lets her witness her own falling asleep at the description of Eden. How he watched her sleep for hours, enjoying the weight of her against him, in his arms. The comfort he drew from the steady beat of her heart and even breathing of a peaceful sleep. He hopes it’s enough to prove to her just how life changing she has been for him and that is the reality of her. 

He’s surprised to see a tear escape from her still closed eyes and he wipes it away with his thumb. He settles his hands on either side of her face, not quite ready to let her go just yet. “Addy?” 

She opens her eyes to reveal more tears and she gives him a shaky smile. “You do love me. I could...feel that when you showed me those memories. But loving me doesn’t make me real.” 

Gadreel smiles at the confirmation of the emotions he had been feeling towards her. It’s not just Joseph’s emotions bleeding into his own. He, Gadreel the angel, loves her. “But you just said it yourself. I do love you. And you love me. How can that be if one of us does not exist?” 

“Metatron said that you fell for an ideal and nothing more. People fall for thoughts and ideas and standards all the time.” She wraps her fingers around his hands and pulls them away from her face. “Still doesn’t mean I’m re-” 

He cuts her off before she can finish the sentence by leaning down and kissing her. He’s afraid that this action will be enough to rouse Joseph but his vessel’s spirit stays completely submerged in his dream just as he had promised. So Gadreel pulls on the body’s muscle memory to know how to properly kiss her. He finds this expression of affection to be more instinctual than learned. 

Addy overcomes her surprise and leans into him, her lips moving against his. Her hands slide around his back, fingertips pressing into his shoulder blades lightly. That sudden burst of pleasure erupts from the pressure points, momentarily blinding him with a hot rush of energy. He comes back to his senses with a handful of sleek blonde hair griped tightly in his fist and scraping his teeth along the long line of her neck. 

He’s afraid the display has frightened her due to her rapid heartbeat and quick breathing. An apology is on his lips when she pushes against him. He starts to step back when he realizes that she’s not pushing him away but rather trying to take his jacket off. He shrugs out of it and is immediately and momentarily blinded by her pulling his shirt over his head. She kisses him with as much passion as he has shown her and he fumbles with the hem of her own shirt. He pulls away from her only to take her shirt off and finds himself stunned into complete inaction. 

She is beautiful, inside and out. Merciful, compassionate, brave woman wrapped in alluring curves and soft skin. And she is willing to allow him and his fumbling hands to touch her in this most intimate way. It is a gift that he would never be worthy of receiving even if he had redeemed himself a thousand times over. 

“Gad?” 

He smiles and ghosts his fingers up her bare arms. “Yes?” 

“Show me,” she reaches to undo his belt. “Show me I’m real.” 

He leans in to kiss her again and whispers against her lips, “I will.”


	15. Interlude

Chapter Fifteen: Interlude

Dean, Sam and Jael all return to the bunker after the meeting with Metatron and Gabriel. All three are worn out, weary of the end of the world always being just around the corner. The planning, the warding, the hyper-awareness of watching for ambushes and attacks. And working with people that would otherwise be their enemies, it is wearing on them. 

Or at least it is on Sam. 

Dean dumps his bag on the table and grabs a beer from the fridge. “You two want one?” 

“Yeah, sure,” Sam answers but when he turns to Jael he finds she’s already left the kitchen. “Better make that just one for me.” 

Dean sighed and looked in the direction of their rooms. “She’s gotta be taking this hard. Cas gets to go back home to help with the new spell, the new cage and she’s grounded.” Dean takes a long pull on his beer. “All because of us.” 

“I never should have asked her for her help.” 

“She would have probably done it anyway.” 

Sam sat down at the table. “How’s that?” 

“What are you, blind? You don’t notice how she looks at you?” 

“Dude, really?” Sam rubs his forehead. “We do not have time for this kind of thing right now. We’ve got some angels we can trust, some we can’t, some we don’t even know who’s side their on, telling us they’re working on a brand spanking new cage for Lucifer.” Sam laughs. “And the lynch pin in this plan is to have him take Addy as a vessel, convince him he’s found the door to Heaven and step into the cage that’s on the other side of the door. But then the army of angels need to be able to get in there to get Addy out before she gets trapped in there with him before the locks engage. And that’s if she can eject him.” 

“We’ve done crazy before.” 

“Not this crazy.” 

“Look,” Dean sets his beer down. “Metatron made Addy, right? So if anyone knows what she’s capable of, it’s him. I hate the guy as much as humanly possibly but if he thinks Addy can do this, I say that’s the horse we back. Besides, Cas is up there now helping with the cage. We know he’s not going to do anything backhanded.” 

“If this works, it’s going to be a miracle.” 

Dean shrugs. “We’ve seen it happen before.” 

Sam has to reluctantly agree. “You’re awfully positive about this situation.” 

“For once, we’re damage control. Michael has his vessel, Addy is going to be Lucifer’s. Our asses are off the line this time. We just have to be ready to clean up the aftermath if this goes south.” 

“Adam and Addy are both going to need help if they survive this.” 

Dean nods solemnly. “I’ll talk to Cas about what kind of prep work we need to do for them. But, for now, you have some help that needs to be delivered.” 

Sam catches the extra beer bottle. “I don’t even know if she likes beer.” 

Dean smiles, picks up the weapons bag and starts towards the storeroom. “Don’t know unless you ask her.” 

Sam resists the urge to roll his eyes as he makes his way towards the rooms. They had put Jael up next to Sam in case she needed anything. He stops in front of her door and listens for any movement in the room. He can’t hear anything so he knocked, hoping she isn’t asleep already. 

“I’m fine. Thank you.” 

Except he can hear the tears in her voice. “Jael, let me come in, please.” 

The door opens and Jael peers out with red rimmed eyes. “I’m not exactly good company right now.” 

Sam hands her the beer and she takes it hesitantly. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” 

She nods, her hands twisting nervously around the bottle. “I’m not. I’m not okay. I’ve never had to sit anything out before. I’ve always been on the front lines. I’m not used to being...” 

“Human?” 

“Useless.” 

Sam steps into her room and sets both beer bottles down on the desk. “You are not useless.” 

She gives him a disbelieving look. 

“Just because you’re human doesn’t make you useless. Do you think I’m useless?” 

“No, of course not.” 

“Neither are you.” 

Tears start to gather in her eyes. “I am so lost, Sam. For the first time in my life, I’m scared.” 

“I know, I get that.” Sam reaches out to her hesitantly, not sure how she will respond to him. He’s pleasantly surprised when she willingly steps closer to him and allows him to hold her. “We have time before the plan goes into motion. We’ll teach you everything you need to know. You won’t be lost. You won’t need to be afraid.” 

She actually returns the hug. “Thank you, Sam.” 

“It’s going to be okay.” 

“You sound so sure. How can you be so sure?” 

Sam steps back but keeps an arm around her shoulders. “Would you believe this isn’t our first apocalypse?” 

“What?” 

He picks up the beer bottles and hands her one. “How about I tell you about that over a beer?” 

She gives him a shaky smile. “Okay.” 

***

One Week Later...

Addy rolls over in the soft bed and finds herself tangled in sheets, blankets and the long limbs of her angel. Early morning light shines into the nautical themed bedroom in the bed and breakfast they had found the previous night in the small California town of Olema. They had finally made it to Olema. The devil is breathing down their neck and the angels are planning something big but it feels like a distant, bad dream to Addy on a perfect morning such as this. 

She fights through the blankets and quilt until she reaches the soft material of Gadreel’s t-shirt and buries her face in it. “Told you I would show you Olema.” 

“Yes,” he answers solemnly. “However I had the expectation of seeing the entirety of the town and not just this room.” 

“It’s only our first day here. Patience.” 

He huffs slightly, his chest dipping and rising beneath her head. 

“You don’t have to stay in bed with me while I sleep you know.” 

“I know.” He brushes her hair away from her face and lets his fingertips drift down over her ear and neck. “I wouldn’t want to be any other place than by your side.” 

It isn’t the first time he had said something like that to her. It is a double edged comment for Addy though. He loves her, completely and thoroughly. The feeling is the same on her side but she still has this small doubt of her authenticity. Gadreel has been through so much and it pains her to think that if she is nothing more than a pawn in some angelic scheme, that he’ll end up getting hurt again. He’s happy and her only wish is for it to continue. 

He shifts his position so he’s leaning over her. “You’re thinking too deeply again.” 

Addy stretches and smiles. “Perhaps I need a distraction.” 

He smiles, a genuine smile that actually reaches his eyes, before sliding his hands under her shirt. “I believe I can offer a distraction.” 

And what a sweet distraction it is. Gone are the sharp elbows in the ribs and knees knocking together at inopportune moments. They have learned each others bodies in the last week so that now, on mornings where the world is still not quite awake, their love making is slow and unhurried. By the time they manage to finally leave the bed and dress, they’ve missed the window for breakfast. But when Addy opens their door, there’s a basket of muffins sitting on the floor in front of their room with a tag tucked into the basket. 

“What does it say?” Gadreel asks. 

Addy smiles and shows him the piece of paper. “‘To the newlyweds.’” He gives her a confused look so she explains. “That’s what they called newly married couples. The owners probably think we’re on our honeymoon.” 

“Honeymoon?” 

She closes the bedroom door and they start to leave the house. “After a couple gets married they usually go away on a vacation together called a honeymoon.” 

“I’m failing to understand how our arrival and stay here could be seen as a honeymoon.” 

Addy gets into the car and tries to hide a smile. “The couple usually has copious amounts of sex on their honeymoon. So they either assumed that we missed breakfast because we were otherwise engaged or...”

“Or?” 

“They heard us.” 

The tips of his ears go red and the line of questioning stops. Addy drives them down the side road by the bed and breakfast to where a trail head starts in the Point Reyes National Seashore. Surprisingly enough, there is no view of the ocean, just pine trees and rolling hills. If he’s disappointed by the lack of ocean, he doesn’t say anything but regards the area with a small smile. 

It is a beautiful day for a hike and Addy is looking forward to spending the time with Gadreel. She likes seeing the effect wide open spaces have on him and wishes this could be their life: quaint little towns, cozy bed and breakfasts and hikes through meadows and forests. But that’s not to be the case. There’s a war gearing up and she will need to be a major player. For now though, for today, they can play at being the newlyweds that the bed and breakfast staff believe them to be. They start on the trail and reach for each other’s hand at the same time, their fingers interlacing effortlessly. 

“We’re going to have to come up with a way to make some money since we don’t know how long this road trip is going to last,” Addy says. 

“I’ve thought of that. Joseph did work as a bartender so I can pull on that information.” 

“That means we’ll have to be stationary though. We were told to keep moving.” Addy smiles. “Lucky for us, for some odd reason, Metatron put in my backstory the ability to play the cello. I just need to find one, even a used one, and I can play on the street. Possibly get a few gigs out of it.” 

“And what will I do?” 

“Do you know how big a cello is?” Addy laughs. “You get to lug the thing around.” 

They spend the next two days in Olema before moving down into San Francisco. Addy finds a cello in a pawn shop that is her size and doesn’t need much work. It’s odd when she sits down in the hotel room and knowing she has never actually touched the instrument, yet being able to play various pieces of music. 

She plays for one day on the streets of San Francisco and obtains three offers to play in local cafes and bars. The city is large enough that they move around from section to section and end up staying for two weeks. They make plans to move down the coast, hitting Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey, Santa Cruz and the Big Sur area but the night before they leave, Addy wakes up and finds Gadreel is not in the bed with her. 

She gets up and checks the small room and finds no trace of him. Then she notices her cello case is empty as well. She pulls on a pair of jeans and grabs a sweater, pulling it over her t-shirt before stepping out the room. She sees other people standing right outside their doors, all listening to the music coming from the pool area. Addy leans on the railing and wasn’t even surprised to see Gadreel with her cello playing Coldplay’s “The Scientist” perfectly. 

He had told her that some angels were very musically inclined, as if it were just another language to them such as Enochian. She assumes he’s one such angel given how naturally he’s taken to instrument and the music. She does wonder how many nights he has snuck out to play her cello behind her back. 

Looks like they would be purchasing a second cello before they left in the morning.


	16. Denver

Dean has always tried to not notice his brother’s personal life. However, it becomes very difficult when they’re living together and he knows Sam better than he knows himself. He tries not to think too deeply about the time Sam spends in the shooting range with Jael and stays clear of the level when the shooting stops and it takes them two hours to emerge with rumpled clothing and guns that still need to be cleaned. 

It all started innocently enough. Jael was terrified of sleeping, of losing consciousness. After a week of little to no sleep, it was time to do something about it so they offered to sit with her while she slept. They took shifts so they wouldn’t be exhausted but one night, Dean walked in to find Sam stretched out top of the blankets and both of them were sound asleep. Dean didn’t have to sit up with Jael anymore after that. 

So when Sam tells him that he and Jael are going out to practice target shooting outdoors, Dean wishes them the best of luck and to have fun. Never mind the fact that the bag Sam is carrying smells of chicken and brie and sounds like a bottle of wine clanging around in there against silverware. He fights the urge to tease them, ask if they a blanket at least but it’s been so long since he had seen Sam smile, he bites his tongue. 

He takes the opportunity to use the indoor shooting range himself. It would feel good to blow out a couple targets. This waiting game is starting to wear on him and who knows how much longer they still have to go. He hasn’t seen Cas in over a week and even though he’s been praying every night for an update, the angel hasn’t shown. He’s through half his clip when someone taps him on the shoulder and almost gets shot in the process. 

“Dammit, Cas!” Dean yanks his safety glasses off his face and fights the urge to throw them at the angel. 

At least Cas looks apologetic. “Sorry. I did try calling to you.” 

Dean sets his gun down and tries to slow his heart rate. “You got news or just dropping by for tea?” 

Cas looks tired and worn as he leans against one of the partitions of the range. “I came with an update. Sam and Jael?” 

“Uh, out.” 

“Out?” 

Dean smiles. “Don’t ask.” 

“Ah, that explains it then.” 

“Explains what?” 

Cas gives him a look that clearly translates he shouldn’t say what he’s about to but he’s going to do it anyway. “The cupids were in an uproar when we let them back into Heaven. They weren’t upset at being kicked out but that they were needed to match up two people and apparently, they weren’t needed because the couple found each other and fell in love themselves. Winchester was a mentioned name but then no one would confirm it.” 

“How was that going to work? Jael was an angel up until a couple weeks ago.” 

“Jael was destined to lose her grace. How and when was irrelevant.” 

“So Sam fell in love and pissed off a bunch of cupids?” Dean laughs. “Sounds like something a Winchester would do.” 

Cas finally cracks a smile. “Yes, it does.” 

“How’s the plan to trap Lucifer going?” 

Cas’ smile fades immediately. “The new cage that is being built is something to be seen. We have many angels working on it. Metatron fully powered up the angels that were in the charging portion of Heaven so we have Naomi, Zachariah, Balthazar, any and everyone helping. It should be done soon.” 

Dean couldn’t exactly express happiness at hearing those angels were walking around again. Well, maybe Balthazar wasn’t too bad to have on their side but Zachariah and Naomi could stay the hell away from him. “Once you get him in there, how are you making sure he stays put?” 

“Ah, the locks. There are going to be 4400 spells that will be cast to contain him. The first twenty will keep him inside of the cage but allow other angels to leave.” 

“Why would you need to get out?” 

Cas tilts his head to the side. “Because it will give Addison a chance to eject Lucifer. It will give us a chance to retrieve her.” 

“Retrieve her?” 

“Lucifer will fight the ejection with everything he has. We are giving Addison the best chance at surviving this.” 

“Sounds like she doesn’t have much of a chance of survival.” 

Cas’ shoulders dropped when he sighed. “In all honesty, she doesn’t. And neither does Gadreel.” 

“Gadreel?” 

“We need something to break Lucifer’s connection. Like you broke the connection between him and Sam, which allowed Sam to wrestle control from him. We need the same thing for Addison. Gadreel is the closest person to her. He’s our best chance at breaking the connection.” 

Dean remembers that day, remembers the beating Lucifer gave him. The archangel was set on killing him with his bare hands. “At least Gadreel’s made of tougher stuff than me.” 

Cas doesn’t smile. “We could lose both of them, Dean. If this doesn’t work-” 

“I know, Cas. We’ve been down this road so many times, it’s not even funny anymore. But somehow, we always manage to come through. Addison’s a Winchester. She’ll make it.” 

“I sincerely hope you’re right.” 

Dean hopes so too. 

***

Gadreel notices when they reach Phoenix three weeks later that Addy is starting to withdraw. They both know whatever the angels are planning is coming together quickly. Nervousness and dread are starting to creep into Addy’s heart and it’s coming out of her fingers when she drags the bow over the cello strings. The fun, light hearted songs that they would play together have given way to sad, more intense music. 

People still pack the small cafes and bars that invite them to perform. They are starting to make quite a name for themselves and are turning down gigs. It should have been the happiest time of their lives. He’s free, truly and completely. He’s reclaimed the feeling of contentment and joy after a millennia of pain and shame. Addy has purpose and a soul, she has a connection to music and to him that have banished any and all doubt of whether or not she’s real now. They should be happy. 

But Lucifer is looming in the distance and snapping at their heels at the same time. There are times when Addy wakes in the middle of the night, shaking and sweating, certain that the devil is standing outside the window. Sometimes Gadreel is able to soothe her back to sleep and other times he watches helplessly as she trembles her way through the dawn. Each day that passes draws her as tight as the strings on her cello and finally, one night as they practice in a hotel room, she snaps. 

“I can’t do this,” she says, leaning over her cello and hugging it to her chest. “I don’t want to do this, Gad.” 

He puts his own cello in its case before gently extracting Addy’s from her grip. “Maybe there’s another way.” 

“No, there’s not. Lucifer wants me. He won’t take another chance with Sam.” 

It didn’t surprise him that she had shared her worries with Sam through their skype sessions. If Sam knew of the angel’s plan to re-imprison Lucifer, he didn’t share any of it with Addy. But he did listen to her concerns and tried to calm her. It is still early enough to call him but Addy grabs his hand. 

“I don’t want to talk to Sam.” 

His surprise at how easily she can tell what he’s thinking has long since faded. “Are you sure?” 

“Yes, I’m sure.” 

He sits down on the chair across from her, still keeping her hand in his. He doesn’t know what to say to her and finds he doesn’t have to because she starts speaking. 

“I want you to promise me something.” 

“Of course.” 

She takes a deep breath before establishing eye contact and holding it with an intensity he hadn’t seen before. “When I say yes to Lucifer, I want you to stay as far away from me as possible.” 

“Addy-” 

“I mean it. The first thing Lucifer will do is harm you or worse. I won’t let him do that. I couldn’t live with myself if that happened.” 

Gadreel shook his head. “I will not leave you to face this by yourself.” 

“Don’t you understand? Lucifer will kill you!” 

“There is a possibility he won’t.” 

Addy stands up and settles herself on his lap, his arms automatically going around her to hold her in place. “I don’t want to take the chance. I want my happy ending. I want it with you.” 

“I promised to protect you. You said you were holding me to that promise. I can’t and I won’t leave you now.” 

She worries her lip for a moment before lowering her head and giving a slight nod. “Okay. Alright. Just please, survive this.” 

“I will. You do the same.” He wants his happy ending too. 

They seal the promise with a kiss that is interrupted by her stomach growling. Gadreel stands up, putting Addy down on her feet. 

“Sushi?” 

“Sounds good.” 

There is a Japanese place a block down from the hotel. Sometimes Addy went with him but tonight, she reaches for her cello so he will go alone. It only takes him twenty minutes to get the order and make it back to the room. 

The empty room. 

***

Addy has been looking for an opening to leave for Denver so when Gadreel leaves to pick up some food, she packs her bag and runs. She leaves the SUV, taking a taxi to the Phoenix airport. She’s able to sweet talk her way onto a flight to Denver. She has to get there quickly, as quickly as possible. As soon as Gadreel gets back to the room and finds her gone, his first course of action will be to call Sam and Dean. She can’t afford any interference. 

She finds her seat on the airplane, buckles her seatbelt and checks her phone. Someone texted her a picture, an unknown number. It’s a picture of Matt, her ex-fiancé, playing with his kids in the backyard. Another text comes through as she is looking at the picture. 

Would be a shame if something happened to one of them. Or all of them for that matter.

Addy quickly responds. I’m on a plane right now. Meet me at the Denver Airport in two hours.

A reply comes back just as she’s asked to turn off her phone for take off. 

Good girl. 

She stares off into nothing during the short flight. She has been having dreams for the last week of Lucifer coming to her, needing her as a vessel as his was failing him. She quickly found he was not above threats though he tried finesse first. He was growing desperate. That was when the texts started. Pictures of her friends and family, or at least the friends and family that Metatron gave her. Even though Matt and his family probably had no memory whatsoever of Addison Weaver, she couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to them because of her. 

The angels know that Lucifer has been waiting to take her. She can only hope that they are prepared for it. She doesn’t want to be responsible for a blood bath. She doesn’t want to be responsible for the apocalypse. She doesn’t want to die either and she knows Michael well enough to know he would put her down in a second if it meant saving the world. She certainly doesn’t want Gadreel, Sam, Dean, Jael or Cas to get caught in the crossfire either. She spends the rest of the flight praying for safety for the people around her, safety for the entire world. She prays until she runs out of words and the plane lands. 

She’s not surprised to see him, Lucifer, waiting for her down by the baggage claim. The skin on his face burned and mottled. He still looks unassuming, almost nonthreatening. If it was’t for the smug smile on his damaged face, she would have been fooled by his looks entirely. 

“Addison. We meet again. In Denver, of all places.” 

“Imagine that.” 

“Oh come on, don’t be such a downer. We’re going to have a lot of fun.” 

Addy frowns. “I have a feeling your idea of fun and my idea of fun are two very different things.” 

He steps forward and frames her face with his hands. “Sweetheart, you haven’t ever experienced fun. Or joy. Or even happiness. I’ll give all those things to you and more. I promise.” 

“A pretty pack of lies.” 

He smiles. “I never lie. So, do I have your consent?” 

Addy looks around at the weary travelers around them. “Not here. Not in front of all these people.” 

Lucifer rolls his eyes. “Fine.” 

Addy follows him out the door and into the parking garage. He stops by a convertible BMW. “Is that yours?” 

“I don’t need a car. And neither will you once you say yes.” 

She made the decision to go through with this but fear is choking her. She’s going to give him her body, give him the reins to do whatever he wishes. She thinks about asking him to spare certain people but realizes he wouldn’t keep his promise even if he agreed to it. She’s come this far. Everyone knows this was going to happen and she can only hope they’re prepared for it. 

“Addison,” he sing-songs, “Addy girl, I’m waiting.” 

“Yes,” she spits out. 

“What was that, dear?” 

She looks him dead in the eye and prays once more. “I said yes.” 

And everything goes white.


	17. The Second Garden

The door to Heaven is in a playground. 

Lucifer is surprised but when he thinks about who is currently ruling Heaven, it isn’t that surprising at all. He has taken a couple days to get acclimated to Addison as a vessel. He needs to make sure that she’s able to withstand the power he is going to have to use to break open the door. She’s not Sam but she’s more than capable to containing his power. 

She is also strangely cooperative, staying quiet and silent in the corner of her own mind. He offered to create a utopia for her but she turned him down flat. The only reason she is being so reasonable is he hasn’t gone on a killing spree. Not yet, at least. He’s prepared to sideline her ass as soon as the blood starts falling but until then, she remains a slightly angry buzz at the base of his neck. 

He crosses the dark playground using his grace to make up for the uneven ground beneath the Jimmy Choo stilettos. When Addison had shown up in Denver she had been dressed in jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt. There is no way he is going to return home and kick Metatron off the throne in a pair of Converses. White Armani suit, red silk blouse and shoes that are worth more than Addison’s first car. It isn’t prom worthy but it certainly is fitting for a homecoming. 

The door back home is actually a spell drawn in the sandbox. He only had to kill eight angels to get the information before taking Addison as his vessel. He stands beside the box and lifts his hands, shifting the grains until the spell can be seen. How the scribe ever got to be the new God is something he will never comprehend. It doesn’t matter anyway. Heaven is about to get a new leader. The tumblers of the spell shift and lock, and soon the door is open. 

“Time to go home.” 

He steps into the sandbox and feels the familiar tug and pull of entering a different dimension. He hasn’t seen Heaven in thousands of years and the thought of returning brings a giddy excitement. This is his right that he has been long denied. Heaven forms around him in the shape of an elevator, complete with muzak. He had been gone for a while. The doors slide open and his angel blade drops neatly into his hand. 

There’s a room filled with desks and phones and bare walls. A variety of angels are milling around, a steady buzz of communication that drops to complete silence at his appearance. No one makes a move towards him. If this is a trap, it’s a very poorly laid out one. And with extremely weak angels if he’s recognizing a few faces in the stunned crowd. An angel in a female vessel straightens her jacket and clears her throat quietly. 

“Metatron is expecting you,” she greets. There is a slight waver of fear on the edge of her voice. “Please, follow me. I will take you to him.” 

Lucifer keeps hold of his angel blade but follows the angel in front of him until she stops at a set of cherry doors. “What’s your name?” 

“Hannah.” 

She was one of the younger angels, that is why she’s not familiar to him. “I was led to believe Heaven was empty.” 

“There are some angels who have pledged their loyalty to Metatron. He has allowed them to return home.” 

Her nervousness is starting to fade and it assures him that perhaps this isn’t the trap he was afraid it was going to be. “How...gracious of him.” 

A brief fluttering of nervousness rises again. “If you so wish, I am certain he would extend the same offer to you.” 

Lucifer laughs in her face. “I am so happy to see my siblings are still the mindless sheep they’ve always been, blinding following whoever’s sitting in Father’s chair.” It certainly will work to his advantage when he ousts the current seat warmer. He motions to the set of doors and they swing open. Just like everything else in this new Heaven, the scene in front of him leaves him unsettled. 

Metatron is sitting behind a desk with a typewriter. It looks like the set from Masterpiece Theater. There are no other angels in the room. There is no sign of duplicity once more so he slowly steps across the threshold into the office and tightens his grip on the blade. Metatron stands quickly and backs even further into the room as the doors close behind the archangel. 

“Lucifer.” 

“Scribe.” 

It happens so quickly. The office drops away to reveal white washed walls and Addison comes screaming to the forefront of his mind. He shoves her back as savagely as possible. A quick rummage through her mind reveals she knows nothing of this trap but Lucifer reminds her, none too kindly, that if he’s trapped, she’s trapped with him. He will exact his pound of flesh from her, multiple times since they had eternity. The threat falls flat and as he turns, he sees why. 

The once empty office has disappeared to reveal a massive group of angels surrounding him. There is a thin veil separating them from him. Protective spells from the stinging feel of it when he stalks closer to them. Too many are faceless minions but there are some who he knows very well. Anna. Balthazar. Uriel, that is slightly surprising. Naomi. Castiel, though he looks less like himself. 

He stops in front of Gabriel and Michael. “So no to the Apocalypse then, brother?” 

“I’ve spent some time on the earth now,” Michael answered. “Destruction doesn’t seem to be the way to do things.” 

“Little different speech than what we had in that graveyard.” 

“Apparently angels can change. Besides,” Michael frowns, “isn’t this what you wanted? For me to walk off the chessboard?” 

“Together!” Lucifer shouts. “We were suppose to walk off the chessboard together! Rebel, together!” 

“And do what, exactly?” Gabriel asks. “The last conversation we had, you referred to the humans as flawed abortions. Not exactly the words of a benevolent ruler of humanity.” 

“Humans are the reason we are fighting in the first place.” Lucifer paces in front of the other angels, addressing them. “We were made by our Father to be more than babysitters to humans. We were created to praise our Father and His works. We were created to have rule over the planets and the stars. We were made for so much more than what we have become, my brothers and sisters. Humans have poisoned us like a disease that festers and eats our grace alive!” 

“You’re wrong.” 

Lucifer turns to see an angel that has stepped out from the thin veil of protection. He can’t figure out who’s more incensed at the sight of Gadreel, him or Addison. This could be fun, teach the little double-crosser a lesson. True, she didn’t know there was a new cage being constructed but she must have known something was being planned. 

“Gadreel! How wonderful to see you again, old friend.” 

The former guard’s mouth twists. “We are not friends, Lucifer. You deceived me.” 

Lucifer shrugs. “It’s kind of what I do. Father of Lies. The Great Deceiver. They’re not just empty names. What’s your point? Or is that it? After all these years, you need me to admit that I lied to you and that ruined the world for everyone?” Lucifer walks right up to Gadreel and makes direct eye contact. “Will that hurry along your redemption?” 

“I have already been redeemed. I don’t need anything from you.” 

“But you do,” Lucifer sneers. “You need her back, don’t you? Great lover of humanity that you are. Your rotten fingerprints are still imbedded in her skin and it’s disgusting. Humans were made to be ruled not screwed. That’s what you’re really doing here, isn’t it? You think you can help her get rid of me.” 

Addison is scratching at his brain, clawing for any purchase that she can use to eject him. Her determination is surprising and leaves him slightly uneasy. She’s much stronger than he initially thought. And the presence of Gadreel is only seeming to strengthen her. There is a bond between them that he can’t explain and doesn’t really care to understand. But it needs to be severed before Addison gains any more power. 

He lifts his blade but Gadreel is ready and deflects the blow. They spar but Lucifer finds Gadreel’s movements lack malice. He is merely defending himself, not attacking. It’s most likely due to the fact that he was so used to protecting this body that he is now struggling to cause it harm. It would be a fatal mistake and would serve to prove a very important point. 

With Addison screaming in his ear and tearing at his hold on her body, he twists and brings his blade from a low angle, imbedding it in the center of the former guardian’s chest. He keeps it there, still and unmoving so he can draw this moment out, teach the little bitch who really is in control now. But when he gloats over the blow, Gadreel’s face is anything but shocked and defeated. 

“Wha-” 

Gadreel’s hand comes up and lays over top Lucifer’s, the one that is gripping the angel blade. He’s pale, sweaty and dying but there is a determination in his eyes. 

“I let you in the first garden,” he rasps, “but I will cast you out of the second one.” 

To Lucifer’s shock, Gadreel’s hand tightens on his and with a quick twist, turns the blade. He watches the grace burn out of the former guardian until the vessel falls lifeless to the floor. Silence descends over the cage. Lucifer can hear spells piling up on each other, reinforcing the locks and bindings but he can’t move. Why can’t he move? 

“Addison! Cast him out!” Michael shouts.

He turns his head feeling suddenly disconnected from his vessel. No, this couldn’t be happening. He can’t even really feel Addison anymore, he can’t find her anywhere in his mind. Rage burns through him at this deception. Of all things to give her enough power to wrestle control from him it was love. 

The moorings are snapping, his control is slipping. Addison is ejecting him, spitting him back into another cage. Well, he isn’t out yet and so he does one final act of retribution and tries to burn through his vessel as much as possible before he’s launched into his new prison. And if he takes out a few of the angels with his vessel, so be it. 

***

The bunker has been in lockdown for five days. 

They were warned this would happen when Lucifer took Addison as a vessel. They were told it would be a few days to sort out when it happened but that someone would come open the door for them when it was over and time for them to help. To do what, Dean, Sam and Jael had no idea. 

Day five is almost at an end and the three of them are sitting at the kitchen table trying to teach Jael how to play poker when the door unlocks and opens again. They stand and wait to see who has come with news. Sam expects it to be Cas or Gadreel, hopefully with a grinning Addy in tow. But it’s not. 

A grim faced Gabriel makes his way down the stairs. “Hey there, boys. And girl.” 

“What happened?” Dean asks without preamble. 

“No beer first?” Gabriel smiles but it disappears quickly. “Lucifer’s back in a cage. The spells are still being cast to keep him in there but he’s not going anywhere for a very long time.” 

Sam crosses his arms nervously. “And Addy?” 

“She’s...healing. Lucifer decided to try to burn through her when she ejected him. He flash fried her lungs and some other vital organs. We were able to put her back together but she’ll be recovering for a while. You guys up for a patient?” 

“Absolutely,” Dean answers without hesitation. 

“Better learn your way around an oxygen tank then. Cas sends his regards. He went to pull Addison out of the cage after Lucifer was ejected and was blinded.” 

Dean frowns. “Blinded?” 

“Not permanently. But his grace is fried six ways to Sunday so it’s making the healing process...complicated. Metatron is still trying to unravel the spell that locked Heaven. If he’s able to do that, Cas could get his original mojo returned and be back in the trench coat before you can blink.” 

“And if he can’t get his original grace back?” Sam asks. 

“You all are so inventive, I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” 

Jael stands next to Sam. “And Gadreel?” 

Gabriel’s shoulders drop slightly. “He, uh, he’s gone.” 

Jael shakes her head. “He’s in the charging station?” 

“No, I’m afraid not. He chose to give his vessel a second chance at his life. So one Joseph Sullivan is heading back to Texas as we speak where he’ll wake up in his own bed tomorrow morning.” 

Gadreel is dead, permanently gone. Sam tries to pull some peace from that news for Kevin’s sake but all he can feel is an emptiness, a loss of an ally. “Does Addy know he’s gone?” 

Gabriel nods. “That’s the wound that concerns us the most. It’s a pain we can’t heal or lessen. But you, her family will be able to help her.” 

Dean nods thoughtfully. “So when are you bringing her home?”


	18. Epilogue

Addy can’t return to the bunker when she’s released from Heaven’s care. The wounds that were inflicted from Lucifer can only be partially healed by angelic means. Time will heal the rest of them. Until then, she’s looking at two weeks in the Smith County Memorial Hospital, twenty minutes from Lebanon, Kansas. 

She spends the first three days in a haze, pumped full of pain killers to make the burning sensation in her chest seem bearable. She spends the fourth day inconsolable, weeping and tearing at the oxygen tubes and IVs in blind frustration and grief. The fifth day, her hands are strapped down to the bed but the agony still rips her heart into shreds. 

Dean, Sam and Jael come and go but she pays them no mind. They’re kind and well meaning with their whispered words of encouragement and gentle touches but she’s too shattered and broken to understand them. She doesn’t want to hear how brave she was. She recoils from their taking her hand in theirs. She’s all sharp edges and a burning inferno. Knowing there was going to be collateral damage because of her decision was one thing, experiencing the aftermath of such damage is a crushing burden she can’t carry. 

Night time is the easiest part of the day for her. Exhaustion takes over and gives her blessed relief from the pain. They are short bursts of calm but she’ll take what she can get even if she doesn’t deserve it. The night nurse comes in, wipes Addy’s tears away and checks the machines. 

“I know you haven’t said a word since you were admitted,” the nurse says to her in hushed tones. “But we have a new chaplain. Perhaps you would like to speak to him?” 

Addy tries to wave the well meaning nurse off but her hand is still tied down to the bed. She turns her head towards the wall instead, hoping that will get her answer across. 

The nurse gently pats Addy’s shoulder. “Well, at least he can pray for you. That’s better than nothing.” 

Addy keeps her eyes fixed on the wall even when she hears the chaplain come into her room. She doesn’t deserve comfort or prayers. Not after what she did. She’s surprised when she feels the restraints are being removed. Curiosity gets the better of her and she turns to see who this person is that has come to see her in the middle of the night. 

He’s a tall man, with dark hair and a full beard. He’s dressed neatly, khaki pants and a dress shirt. But it’s his eyes that say much more than words ever could. There’s sympathy, a touch of pity but there’s also a knowledge of what exactly she has and is going through. He understands exactly the burden she is carrying.

“Angel?” she rasps through her burnt out throat. 

He smiles warmly, kindly. “I am.” 

“Can’t...heal...me.” 

He lays his hand over the blisters from the restraints and the skin becomes new again under a soft white glow. “Not the wounds that matter, I’m afraid.” 

“Who...” 

He crouches down next to the bed so they’re on eye level. “I’m Abner.” 

Her already damaged lungs seize. Gadreel had told her about Abner, their friendship that had been forged in prison. “I’m sorry...I’m...so-” 

His hand comes to rest over her heart and her lungs start to draw as much oxygen as they possibly can in their condition. “What are you apologizing for?” 

“I killed him.” It feels like she is choking on pieces of broken glass but once the words leave her mouth, there is a relief that comes with it. She covers her face with her hands, tears leaking through her fingers. She had killed Gadreel. The grief is mixed with anger though. She had made him promise to stay as far away from her as possible when Lucifer took over and he didn’t listen. He showed up, he tried to save her and she killed him. 

Gentle hands pull hers away from her face. “You did not kill him. Lucifer stabbed him. He turned the blade himself. Addison, you did not kill him.” 

She wants to believe him. The relief it would bring her would be immense. 

“Do you know what you both did for Heaven?” Abner continues. “You and Gadreel are both heroes now. Everything that he ever wanted, he had. He wanted to be a hero, he was. He wanted redemption, he attained it. He had joy and happiness. He knew contentment which was more than he ever had hoped to gain in his life. 

“All because of you, a human. The angel who loved humanity and the human who loved an angel. What you both did has been the rallying cry of Heaven. Angels are returning home and taking up their original mission. Angels like Castiel and Gadreel are now the norm. And it’s beautiful. You need to live. You need to see this. For his sake, if not for your own.” 

“I need...forgiveness...” 

Abner nods in understanding. “You have it.” 

Addy tightens her hand around Abner’s in gratefulness. “Will...you...stay?” 

“As long as you need me.” 

Addy closes her eyes and feels like she can breathe for the first time. The band of grief is still there, constricting and painful, and will be there for the rest of her life. But she can learn to breathe around it. She has to learn how to live with this loss. Abner stays with her until the sun rises. By the time Dean comes to visit her at the start of visiting hours, she’s sitting up in bed, unrestrained and sipping tea. 

“Look who’s up!” Dean greets. “Sam is never going to believe this, here.” He pulls out his phone and snaps a picture of her before she can protest. She even manages a slight smile. It’s a start. 

***

Not all angels are pleased with the change in leadership. Michael had resumed the role of leader of the soldiers. Gabriel, reluctantly, had taken over the management of the more task oriented angels while a newly restored Raphael returned to the Rit Ziens. Heaven is unified once more. 

The doors are wide open now that Metatron’s spell has been picked apart. Even Castiel’s grace was recovered though not in its entirety. It is enough though for the angel to heal his eyes and return to his Winchester duties without the fear of burning out anytime soon. 

But for angels like Thaddeus, the guards of Heaven’s most despised, there suddenly isn’t any room for them and their skills. Not in this new Heaven. He was given a choice to either reform his abilities or be cast out. He left before Naomi could clip his wings and try to reprogram him. But he didn’t leave alone. There were more like him, more angels who weren’t caught up with this revival of love for humanity. 

Heaven is suppose to be a place for order and that had been replaced by this new mindset that strictly focused on protection. Chaos is going to take over soon enough and the trio of archangels are going to be faced with a dilemma. All the angels that supported and enforced order were going to be gone and Heaven will lapse into a disorganized mess once more. Thaddeus is just helping the inevitable along. And if he happens to exact some personal revenge along the way, all the better. 

“Can I get you anything else?” 

He peers up through the jagged bleached bangs of his vessel’s hair and smiles at the tall bartender. “No, thank you.” 

He waits for the man to move further down the bar before he opens the notebook he’s been carrying with him. He glances down the list of names of angels and humans alike that need to be taught a personalized lesson. 

Addison Weaver  
Sam Winchester  
Abner (Alexander Sarver)

And then he adds one more name. 

Joseph Sullivan.


End file.
